Miami Transfer DL Daylen Russell Commits to Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Now the Louisville football program is starting to add pieces in the trenches via the transfer portal.

Former Miami defensive lineman Daylen Russell announced Monday that he has committed to the Cardinals.

Russell is Louisville's fourth portal commitment of the cycle, joining Kentucky cornerback D.J. Waller, Ohio State quarterback Lincoln Kienholz and running back Marquise Davis.

These four are the first to offset 21 portal defections that UofL has seen so far. The 14-day transfer window officially opened up this past Friday, and is the only opportunity for players to enter following the removal of the spring window.

The 6-foot-3, 298-pound defensive tackle spent a pair of seasons with the Hurricanes. After redshirting his true freshman campaign in 2024, he started to see some in-game action this past season. Russell played in five games, collected six tackles (three solo) and one for loss.

Russell, who was high school teammates with current UofL linebacker T.J. Capers at Miami (Fla.) Christopher Columbus, was previously a target of the Cardinals coming out of high school. He held offers from Florida State, Nebraska, UCF, West Virginia and others before choosing Miami over Louisville.

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.

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