Ashton Gillotte, Quincy Riley Impressed with Louisville's Transfer Portal Additions

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football program has several impact playmakers returning for year two under head coach Jeff Brohm.

For starters, they bring back two of the best defenders in the ACC in defensive end Ashton Gillotte and cornerback Quincy Riley. Additionally, guys like safety M.J. Griffin, offensive guard Michael Gonzalez, edge rusher Mason Reiger, linebacker T.J. Quinn and numerous others who made some sort of impact last season are coming back for the 2024 season.

That being said, Louisville's efforts in the transfer portal have netted them some players who will undoubtedly be major role players next season. Gillotte and Riley, who will be the cornerstones of next year's team, are excited for the new pieces coming in via the portal.

"I think we've made a lot of good quality pickups, to build our team, build our depth," Gillotte said. "Obviously, we're a transfer portal team. We rely on it, we have a lot of players out of it. But, I don't think of that as a bad thing. I think it promotes a lot of good competition, which is obviously what we want, and we want to be a championship team. Our main focus is going to be getting together with the new guys, and trying to focus on what the goal is."

With the winter transfer portal window well in the rear view mirror, the Cardinals sport the No. 1 transfer portal class in college football by a wide margin, according to On3. The driving factor behind this ranking are the 26 scholarship players coming in, many of whom were highly sought after transfers.

Of this group of portal pickups so far, 15 are on the offensive side of the ball, while the other 11 play on defense. While there are more transfers on offense coming in, five of Louisville's eight four-star transfers per On3 are on defense. This includes defensive tackles Thor Griffith and Jordan Guerad, defensive end Tyler Baron - who at No. 23 in the portal in the Cardinals' highest-ranked pickup - and cornerbacks Corey Thornton and Tahveon Nicholson.

"It feels good, of course," Riley said of Louisville's defensive transfer portal additions. "The guys you see come in, where they come from, how they played there, it's a whole bunch of talent going around the room. It's exciting knowing that if you just come together and do what you're supposed to do, we can have a big year."

Of course, Louisville has some high-caliber offensive transfers coming in as well. Their three four-star portal additions on that side of the ball consist of running back Peny Boone and wide receiver Caullin lacy, who are the No. 28 and 30 players to enter the portal, respectively, and offensive tackle Monroe Mills. Louisville's expected starter at quarterback, Tyler Shough, was Louisville's first transfer this cycle.

Louisville recently officially announced 24 of their 26 transfers (Griffith and tight end Mark Redman are finishing the spring semesters at Harvard and San Diego State, respectively), and these 24 players have already descended upon campus as midyear enrollees and begun to integrate themselves within the program. So far, these newcomers have meshed well with the returning players.

"The guys coming in, all of them, we haven't had an issue with any attitudes or anything,"Gillotte said. "I think everyone knows what the what the goal is. We're pretty clear minded on what we want to achieve this year, and I think a lot of that competition is gonna be great for the team just to get us going."

Gillotte and Riley also don't harbor any ill will towards the 18 scholarship players that elected to continue their collegiate careers elsewhere and enter the portal. They know that this is just the current day and age of college football, and don't fault them for trying to find better opportunities.

"Some guys left and more guys came in," Riley said. "Whoever wants to be here, I'm happy to be here. Whoever doesn't want to be here, go find a place where you're happy at.

With Louisville going 10-4 and reaching the ACC Championship Game in year one under head coach Jeff Brohm, and combining that with the Cardinals' efforts in the transfer portal in both this cycle and the previous one, Gillotte and Riley believe that the national perception of the Cardinals will only continue to increase.

"I always would say that they we're viewed as an underdog, but I think people see that we're a school that's on the on the uprise," Gillotte said. "We have a good trajectory, we have great coaches, and I think our season was a testament to that.

"Obviously, we have a lot of people who transferred in last year who started and play, got good reps. We're a little mosh-posh [sic] team. We got a lot of people coming in, a lot of people coming out. But I think it shows that we have a coach that can rally and guide all that together just to get us to the main goal, which is just to win every day."

(Photo of Ashton Gillotte via University of Louisville Athletics)

You can follow Louisville Report for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:

Facebook - @LouisvilleReport
Twitter - @UofLReport
Instagram - @louisville_report

You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter