Harvard Transfer DL Thor Griffith Commits to Louisville
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A few days after landing former Texas Tech quarterback Tyler Shough, the Louisville football program has officially landed transfer No. 2 in this cycle.
Thor Griffith, a defensive tackle who spent the first four years of his collegiate career at Harvard, announced Sunday that he has committed to play his final season of eligibility with the Cardinals.
Griffith entered the portal back on Nov. 24 as a graduate transfer, and Louisville was quick to get involved. The Cardinals offered him a scholarship on Nov. 27, and hosted him for a visit on campus this weekend.
The 6-foot-2, 320-pound lineman has been one of the best defensive tackles in the Ivy League for the past two seasons. He earned All-Ivy League First-Team honors as both a senior and junior for the Crimson, as well as Third-Team FCS All-American honors as a junior. At the time of his commitment, he was named the No. 5 best available defensive line transfer by On3.
This past season, Griffith was one of the best defensive tackles in all of the FCS. Starting all 10 games, he collected a team-best 11.0 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks, while also collecting 55 tackles overall, eight quarterback hurries and a forced fumble. According to Pro Football Focus, with a defensive grade of 89.3, Griffith was the second-highest rated defensive tackle in the FCS, behind only Penn's Joey Slackman (90.1).
The Portsmouth, N.H. native was just as disruptive for Harvard as junior the season before. That year in 10 games and eight starts, he collected 46 tackles, 12.0 for loss, 5.0 sacks, and three quarterback hurries. In three on-field seasons with the Crimson following the cancellation of his freshman campaign in 2020 due to COVID, Griffith has amassed 132 total tackles, 33.5 for loss, 13.5 sacks and two forced fumbles over 30 games.
While the Louisville defensive line does lose Jermayne Lole and Stephen Herron to graduation, and is expected to lose Ashton Gillotte to the NFL Draft, this area of the field looks to be a strength for the Cardinals in 2024. They return key players such as Mason Reiger, Dezmond Tell and Ramon Puryear, while also adding Griffith to the fold.
Griffith is expected to sign on Dec. 20 for the first day of the early signing period. Louisville went 10-2 during the regular season with a berth in the ACC Championship Game under first year head coach Jeff Brohm, and are preparing for their Holiday Bowl matchup with USC on Dec. 27.
(Photo of Thor Griffith via Harvard University Athletics)
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