Louisville WR Bobby Golden to Enter Transfer Portal

Golden joined the Cardinals last offseason as a transfer from Akron.

Louisville wide receiver Bobby Golden | University of Louisville Athletics

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville football wide receiver Bobby Golden plans to enter his name into the transfer portal, a source tells Louisville Cardinals On SI.

Golden is the seventh Louisville player to announce his intentions to enter the portal following the Cardinals' win over Toledo in the Boca Raton Bowl last Tuesday. He's also the 10th scholarship player overall to announce their intent to transfer.

Under recently-adopted NCAA guidelines, the 14-day portal window will not officially open until Jan 2. This is the only opportunity for players to enter the portal following the removal of the spring transfer window.

The 5-foot-9, 185-pound receiver originally joined Louisville as a transfer from Akron last offseason during the spring window. However, he logged no offensive stats, while only finishing with a pair of punt returns for nine yards vs. EKU, and an eight-yard kick return at SMU. He played in just four games this season, allowing him to take a redshirt and play one more season.

Golden finished the 2024 season as Akron's No. 2 pass catcher, catching 31 passes for 446 yards and a touchdown across 12 starts. He was also the Zips' go-to kick returner, totaling 316 return yards on 17 kickoffs. The Miami, Fla. native caught just one five-yard pass during his true freshman season in 2022, then took a step forward for the 2023 season. Playing in all 12 games that year with two starts, he caught 17 passes for 144 yards.

With Chris Bell and Dacari Collins both graduating, as well as Golden and Kris Hughes opting to transfer, Louisville's wide receiver room will look markedly different in 2026. The Cardinals have just four scholarship returners here, with their top returners being TreyShun Hurry and Antonio Meeks, who combined for 311 receiving yards and two scores this past season.

In their third season under head coach Jeff Brohm, Louisville went 9-4 overall, including a 4-4 mark in ACC play and a 27-22 win over Toledo in the Boca Raton Bowl. The Cardinals have won at least nine games in all three seasons under Brohm, doing so for the first time since 2012-14.

(Photo of Bobby Golden via University of Louisville Athletics)

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