Louisville RB Isaac Brown to Enter Transfer Portal

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football program is set to lose their best player to transfer portal.

Star running back Isaac Brown, one of the top players in all of college football, plans to enter his name into the transfer portal, he announced Thursday on social media. He will enter the portal with a "do no contact" tag.

"I would like to thank God for my family, teammates and Louisville fans who have been supporting me since committing 2022," Brown said in a graphic posted to Instagram. The community, the fans, the staff has became a family that I could rely on. My teammates are my brothers for life, and Louisville will always be in my heart. ... I am thankful to be able to play this game and thankful for the opportunities that will allow me to continue to develop my craft and chase my dreams of playing in the NFL someday."

He is one of three running backs to already declare to hit the portal, joining Duke Watson and Shaun Boykins Jr. He's also the 13th Louisville player to announce his intentions to enter the portal following the Cardinals' win over Toledo in the Boca Raton Bowl, and the 16th 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.

Ever since stepping foot on Louisville's campus, the 5-foot-9, 190-pound all-purpose back has been a home run threat every time he touches the ball. In just two years at the college level, he has already rushed for 2,057 yards and 18 touchdowns, as well as caught 43 passes for 200 yards and a score.

Brown burst onto the scene last year, putting together a dynamic true freshman campaign. Appearing in all 13 games and making nine starts, including the final eight, Brown rushed for 1,173 yards and 11 touchdowns on 165 carries, while also catching 30 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown.

Brown's 7.1 yards per carry led the ACC, while his rushing yardage placed third in the league, and his rushing touchdown total placed fifth. Not only did he break Lamar Jackson's true freshman rushing mark at Louisville, he tied Jackson's true freshman record for 100-yard rushing games with five.

Brown also became the Cardinals' first true freshman to ever rush for over 1,000 yards. His yardage total was also the most among power conference true freshmen, and the second-most among FBS true freshmen.

As a result, Brown took home numerous accolades. He earned Second-Team All-ACC honors, was named the ACC Offensive and Overall Rookie of the Year, and was named a Freshman All-American by PFF and 247Sports.

This past season as a sophomore, the Miami native was hampered by a couple lower body injuries, but still managed to put together a very good year. Playing in nine games while starting seven, he ran for 884 yards and seven touchdowns on 101 carries, while catching 13 passes for 48 yards. Brown's 8.8 yards per carry leads all of the FBS.

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.

More Cardinals Stories