Source: CB Tayon Holloway Reinstated by Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Tayon Holloway will indeed be returning to play another season for the Louisville football program.

The cornerback has been reinstated to the Cardinals' roster for the upcoming 2025 season, a school representative tells Louisville Cardinals On SI. He had been indefinitely suspended since his arrest last fall.

On Saturday, Holloway hinted at his return on Instagram, posting a picture of himself in Louisville's new uniforms and sporting a new number, switching from No. 20 to No. 25.

"University of Louisville student-athlete Tayon Holloway has been reinstated to the football program after the conclusion of his legal matter," per a statement provided to Louisville Cardinals On SI by a spokesperson with the program.

One day removed from Louisville's 38-35 loss at Stanford last November, Holloway was arrested at The Province apartments close to UofL's campus. He was charged with fourth degree assault with a minor injury, a misdemeanor, as well as first degree strangulation (domestic violence related), which is a felony.

According to the police report obtained by Louisville Cardinals On SI at the time of his arrest, the victim (referred to in the report as Holloway's girlfriend) stated that Holloway was in his room preparing to smoke marijuana. When she grabbed the marijuana, Holloway "became angry and physical."

The victim stated that Holloway "threw her off of the bed and onto the ground, and began to strike her in the face with a closed fist." The victim then grabbed a nearby lamp in an attempt to protect herself, and after that failed, Holloway "took a pillow and placed it over her face" for approximately 10 seconds.

On Mar. 27, the strangulation charge was dismissed, while the assault charge was amended to second degree disorderly conduct, to which he pled guilty to. As a result, he was able to avoid jail time so long as he followed court orders until June 4, and was also ordered to pay the victim $52.50.

Holloway was indefinitely suspended from the Cardinals shortly after his arrest, and was not with the team during spring ball.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound cornerback had been a key part of Louisville's secondary last season. Playing in the first 10 games while making three starts, Holloway tallied 16 tackles, two for loss, six pass breakups and a sack.

Holloway also played an unfortunate role in Louisville's stunning upset loss at Stanford. On the first play of Stanford's final drive, Holloway was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct following a short throw with just four seconds left in the game. This, combined with a subsequent offsides penalty by Quincy Riley, allowed Stanford to get in better position to kick the game-winning 52-yard field goal.

The Virginia Beach, Va. native joined Louisville last offseason after spending his first two years in college at North Carolina. After redshirting his true freshman campaign in 2022, Holloway played in 10 total games along with six starts for the Tar Heels in 2023, logging 19 total tackles, 1.5 for loss and one pass breakup.

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