Report: Louisville's James Turner, Dez Melton Enter Transfer Portal

Three Cardinals have now opted to transfer following the end of spring ball.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Two more members of the Louisville football program have entered the transfer portal following spring ball.

Both placekicker James Turner and tight end Dez Melton have placed their names into the portal, according to 247Sports' Jody Demling.

Three Cardinals in total have opted to transfer following Louisville's spring game last Friday. Turner and Melton follow wide receiver Chance Morrow, who announced his intentions to enter the portal earlier Tuesday.

Turner is coming off of one of the best seasons in school history by a placekicker. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound special teamer was 20-for-22 on field goal attempts in 2022, while also connecting on 38 point-after attempts to earn an All-ACC honorable mention.

His 20 made field goals was good for second-most in a single season at Louisville, trailing only Art Carmody's 21 in 2006. His 90.9 field goal percentage set the new UofL single-season record, and his 98 points by kicking were the sixth-most in a season.

The Saline, Mich. native joined the Cardinals in 2019, and had been their starting kicker for the past three seasons. Over 42 games played, Turner went 47-for-59 on field and connected with 124 point-after attempts.

Melton was used primarily as a blocker in former head coach Scott Satterfield's offensive scheme, and had a minimal role in the passing game, and offense overall. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound tight end appeared in 12 of Louisville's 13 games last season, but logged only an eight-yard reception against UCF, and played just 83 offensive snaps total.

The Glendale Ariz. native's best season came in 2021 when played in all 13 games, and caught three passes for 80 yards. He redshirted his true freshman season in 2019, and appeared in seven games during the 2020 season, all on special teams.

Louisville has now seen 17 players enter the portal following the end of the regular season. Fortunately, head coach Jeff Brohm and the Cardinals have done a good job at countering their portal losses, landing 15 transfer commitments up to this point, and more likely on the way.

Louisville finished their 2022 season with an overall mark of 8-5 (4-4 in ACC), including a 24-7 win in the Fenway Bowl over Cincinnati. They'll kick off their 2023 season against Georgia tech in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Classic at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. on Friday, Sept. 1.

(Photo of James Turner: Charles LeClaire - USA TODAY Sports)

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