Houston Transfer DL Joshua Donald Commits to Louisville

Donald also has prior stops at Southern and App State.
Houston defensive tackle Joshua Donald
Houston defensive tackle Joshua Donald | Twitter/X

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football program has added another big body to their defensive front.

Former Houston defensive tackle Joshua Donald announced Thursday that he has committed to the Cardinals.

Donald is the fifth transfer interior defensive lineman to commit to Louisville in this cycle. He follows Purdue Demeco Kennedy, Miami’s Daylen Russell and EKU’s Tommy Ziesmer.

So far, Louisville has landed 27 transfer commitments, offsetting 24 portal defections that they have seen up to this point. The 14-day transfer window officially opened up back on Jan. 2 and closes this Friday, and it is the only opportunity for players to enter following the removal of the spring window.

The 6-foot-2, 320-pound nose tackle did not play this past season in his lone year at Houston, but has shown in the past that he can be an impact player. Donald played his 2024 campaign at Appalachian State, and in 11 games plus 10 starts, he collected 32 tackles, 5.5 for loss, three sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Donald spent the first two years of his collegiate career in the FCS ranks at Southern. During his time there, the Durham, N.C. native totaled 19 tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks. He briefly transferred to Troy for spring practice in early 2024 before later hitting the portal again in the spring window and going to App State.

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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Matthew McGavic
MATTHEW MCGAVIC

McGavic is a 2016 Sport Administration graduate of the University of Louisville, and a native of the Derby City. He has been covering the Cardinals in various capacities since 2017, with a brief stop in Atlanta, Ga. on the Georgia Tech beat. He is also a co-host of the 'From The Pink Seats' podcast on the State of Louisville network. Video gamer, bourbon drinker and dog lover. Find him on Twitter at @Matt_McGavic