Report: Louisville Tight Ends Nate Kurisky, Grant Houser to Enter Transfer Portal

Kurisky has been key part of the Cardinals' tight end room since his arrival on campus, while Houser was a freshman.

Oct 14, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Louisville Cardinals tight end Nate Kurisky (85) runs after a catch against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Two more players from the Louisville football program are opting to play elsewhere, this time it's a pair of players in the tight end room.

Redshirt junior Nate Kurisky and true freshman Grant Houser plan to enter their names into the transfer portal, according to On3's Pete Nakos.

Kurisky and Houser are the third and fourth Louisville players to announce their intentions to enter the portal following the Cardinals' win over Toledo in the Boca Raton Bowl, joining running back Shaun Boykins and defensive end A.J. Green. Seven scholarship players overall have announced, following safety Daeh McCullough, quarterback Brady Allen and defensive tackle Selah Brown.

Under recently-adopted NCAA guidelines, the 14-day portal window will not officially open until Jan 2. This is the only opportunity for players to enter the portal following the removal of the spring transfer window.

Kurisky has been a key piece of Louisville's tight end room for the last three seasons, and is coming off of a career year despite missing the first two games due to injury. In 11 games and six starts, the 6-foot-3, 240-pound tight end caught 20 passes for 157 yards - both of which were career-highs - and two touchdowns.

The Leesburg, Va. native redshirted his true freshman season in 2022, then was elevated to start in 2023 for head coach Jeff Brohm's first season. He caught 18 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns in 14 games and 10 starts, then logged 12 catches for 112 yards and a career-best three touchdowns in 13 games last year.

Kurisky ends his Cardinals career with 50 receptions for 410 yards and seven touchdowns.

As for Houser, he did not make an appearance during his true freshman campaign, primarily due to a knee injury. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound tight end was regarded as the No. 1,014 prospect in the Class of 2025, choosing Louisville over held offers from Indiana, UConn, Toledo and others.

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.

(Photo of Nate Kurisky: Charles LeClaire - Imagn Images)

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