Louisville Defensive Tackle Jermayne Lole to Enter Transfer Portal

Last season, the defensive tackle showcased at times what once made him such a highly regarded NFL prospect.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football program's defensive line is losing a veteran presence to the portal.

Defensive tackle Jermayne Lole plans to enter his name into the transfer portal, he announced Sunday night on social media. Lole originally announced his intention to return for one more year with the Cardinals this past January after receiving a medical redshirt.

Lole is the fourth Louisville player to announce their intention to enter the portal when the 15-day spring transfer window opens up on Tuesday, joining offensive lineman Lance Robinson, Trevonte Sylvester and Reuben Unije. The Cardinals have now had 21 players overall transfer out of the program in this cycle, not including Unije, who joined UofL via the portal earlier in the offseason.

This past year, the 6-foot-3, 310-pound lineman was finally able to stay healthy for an entire season, and in turn showcased at times what once made him such a highly regarded NFL prospect. Playing in 12 of Louisville's 14 games with nine starts, Lole finished with 19 total tackles, five for loss, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble and two pass break ups.

The Long Beach, Calif. native joined Louisville prior to the 2022 season after spending four seasons at Arizona State, but suffered a season-ending elbow injury in the opener against Syracuse. In 2021, his final year with the Sun Devils, he was also sidelined for the entirety of that season due to a triceps injury suffered in fall camp.

But when healthy, Lole was not only an X-Factor for ASU, he was one of the best interior defensive linemen in college football. In 28 appearances over his first three seasons with Arizona State, he totaled 123 tackles, 20.0 for loss, 11.0 sacks, eight pass deflections and two forced fumbles.

While Louisville has seen a lot of players transfer out, they have done a good job at countering their losses. So far, they have landed 25 commitments via the portal up to this point, sporting On3's No. 1 portal class in college football.

The Cardinals finished their 2023 season with an overall mark of 10-4 (7-1 in ACC) including a berth in the program's first ever ACC Championship Game. Year two under head coach Jeff Brohm is scheduled to kick off against Austin Peay on Saturday, Aug. 31 at L&N Stadium.

(Photo of Jermayne Lole: Michael Clevenger - Courier Journal / USA)

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