5 Louisville football spring transfer portal additions to watch in 2023 season and beyond

Most of Louisville’s football team has reported back to campus and is set to begin summer workouts ahead of the 2023 season.

The group that will open the year against Georgia Tech in September will be vastly different than the one that competed in the April spring game. Since then, the Cardinals have added 12 new scholarship players from the transfer portal, giving the program 24 total scholarship transfers and the top transfer class in the country as of June 12, according to On3.

“On paper, we've made a lot of strides,” U of L first-year head coach Jeff Brohm said June 6. “We've made some new additions that we think can help our football team and be a big part of helping us find a way to win. You never know for sure until they get here what exactly they can do and how they will fit in. ... It's a constant evaluation process, development process. You've got to put the time in and be willing to work with your guys on a daily basis. You can't take anything for granted, but I do like the nucleus of our guys.”

While Brohm prioritized wide receivers during the winter, he targeted offensive linemen during the spring, bringing in five while also adding more depth at other positions. He said the Cardinals are “pretty close” to finalizing their roster but acknowledged that “one or two things (could) pop here in the near future.”

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“We want to continue to build a football team and improve each and every week,” he added. "I think our guys are really working hard to this point. We've just got to make sure we stay on it and that we cover everything we need to before the first practice.”

Here are the five most important spring transfers the Cardinals have added:

Keith Brown, LB

Brown’s experience will be crucial in a linebacker room that’s lacking it after the recent transfer of KJ Cloyd, who committed to Miami over the weekend. Not including Brown, Louisville only has eight linebackers listed on its roster, none of whom started a game in 2022. While Brown comes to Louisville with only three collegiate starts under his belt, he played in 12 games for the Ducks last season and totaled 21 tackles, seven of which came in the Holiday Bowl. Brown was the No. 1 recruit in Oregon from the Class of 2021 according to the 247Sports composite rankings and the No. 37 transfer linebacker after a two-year stint at Oregon.

Eric Miller, OL

With the Cardinals looking to fill out their offensive line, getting Miller is key. Not only is he a two-year starter with experience playing both tackle spots, but he spent his entire college career with Brohm at Purdue and was on the offensive line when current Cardinals quarterback Jack Plummer was a Boilermaker. In 2021, the last time the two were together, Purdue’s offense averaged 439.6 yards per game and had the 46th-highest pass blocking grade in the country, per Pro Football Focus.

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Lance Robinson, OL

The more bodies that Louisville can have on the offensive line, the better. The experience that Robinson has is an even bigger plus. He’s a two-year starting right tackle with stops at Houston and Middle Tennessee. That gives the Cardinals more depth behind Renato Brown, something that’s much needed at the spot. In addition to Robinson’s starting experience, PFF graded him as having the sixth-best pass blocker in the American Athletic Conference, allowing just two sacks after Week 2 of the 2022 season. Houston’s offense ranked 25^th nationally with 455.8 yards per game and 16^th with 36.1 points per outing.

Cam’Ron Kelly, S

The Cardinals aren’t lacking defensive backs to fill in for the now-graduated safety Kenderick Duncan and cornerback Kei’Trel Clark, but it never hurts to add talent and experience. Kelly has both. He spent four years at North Carolina and started 21 of 25 games played over the past two years. As a senior last season, the Virginia native was the sixth-leading tackler (49) and had one interception in 12 games played for the Tar Heels. As a junior, he ranked third on the team in tackles with 69, making the All-ACC third team.

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Brady Allen, QB

Plummer only has one year of eligibility left, so the Cardinals have to think about the future of the position. That's where Allen comes in. The former four-star recruit already knows Allen knows Jeff and Brian Brohm’s system and Purdue's second-highest ranked quarterback prospect. He spent his first collegiate season learning behind Aidan O’Connell, a fourth-round selection in the NFL draft two months ago. Allen could compete for the starting job next season.

Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter at @Alexis_Cubit.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville football roster 2023: 5 key spring transfer portal players