Cal Transfer Kicker Nick Lopez Commits to Louisville

The former placekicker for the Golden Bears is opting to continue his collegiate career with the Cardinals.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - There might be only two months until the 2023 season gets underway, but the Louisville football program is continuing to add via the transfer portal at areas of need.

Nick Lopez, a placekicker who spent the first four years of his collegiate career at Cal before entering the transfer portal, announced Saturday that he has committed to the Cardinals. Despite being a graduate transfer, Lopez has two years of eligibility remaining.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound kicker played in just two games during his time with the Golden Bears. He didn’t see the field in 2019, 2020 or 2022, while facing Arizona and USC in 2021.

Against the Wildcats, the Huntington Beach, Calif. native connected on a 34-yard field goal - the only attempt of his career thus far - and logged two kickoffs that both went for touchbacks. Add in a 53-yard kickoff against the Trojans, he has amassed 183 kickoff yards in his career.

While Lopez has minimal collegiate experience, his addition fills a massive need for the Cardinals. Not long after spring ball concluded this past April, Louisville lost James Turner to the transfer portal. Turner had been UofL’s starting the kicker for the past three seasons. Lopez is expected to battle Brock Travelstead, the only other scholarship kicker on the roster, for the starting kicker in fall camp.

Louisville has been incredibly active in the transfer portal since head coach Jeff Brohm was hired in December. While the Cardinals have lost 22 players via the portal since the end of the 2022 regular season, Lopez is now the 25th scholarship player to transfer in over the offseason, and the 11th since spring ball ended.

Related: Who's In, Who's Out and Who's Back for Louisville Football in 2023

The Cardinals 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 Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. on Friday, Sept. 1.

(Photo of Nick Lopez via Twitter)

You can follow Louisville Report for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:

Facebook - @LouisvilleReport
Twitter - @UofLReport
Instagram - @louisville_report

You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter