Report: Louisville RB Duke Watson to Enter Transfer Portal

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football is set to lose a big time offensive weapon when the transfer portal officially opens up.

Running back Duke Watson plans to enter his name into the transfer portal, according to 247Sports' Chris Hummer.

Watson is the third player of the day for the Cardinals to announce his intentions to enter the portal, following defensive end Xavier Porter and offensive tackle Ransom McDermott. He is one of two running backs to already declare to hit the portal, joining Shaun Boykins Jr.

He's also the 12th Louisville player to announce his intentions to enter the portal following the Cardinals' win over Toledo in the Boca Raton Bowl, and the 15th scholarship player overall.

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

Like fellow running back Isaac Brown, Watson put together a breakout true freshman year in 2024. Playing in all but one game last season, the 6-foot-0, 180-pound back rushed for 597 yards and seven touchdowns, and caught five passes for 60 yards and a score. His 8.91 yards per carry led all of the FBS (min. 75 percent of games played, 4.0 rushing attempts per game).

However, this past season, the Forsyth, Ga. native dealt with a right ankle injury for large parts of the season, which limited both his production and availability. Playing in seven games, Watson ran for 158 yards and one touchdown, while catching six passes for 49 yards and one score.

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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