Jeff Brohm loves the transfer portal. How Louisville football used it to improve roster
The transfer portal has closed for the winter, and Louisville football was — once again — successful in its usage.
After going 10-4 in Jeff Brohm’s first season at his alma mater, the Cardinals lost 19 players but added 17 from the portal, assembling one of the country's top groups. They addressed one of their biggest needs by adding three tight ends, stocked up on offensive linemen and added depth to the secondary.
There will be one more portal opening in April, and Brohm will add players after he evaluates what the Cardinals have following spring football.
Here are the players Louisville lost and gained from the transfer portal during the winter opening:
Quarterbacks
Lost: None
Gained: Tyler Shough, Texas Tech
Though the Cardinals didn’t have any quarterbacks transfer, they had three seniors: Jack Plummer, Brock Domann and Evan Conley. That leaves the team with six QBs on the roster, though only Pierce Clarkson, Brady Allen and Harrison Bailey played and logged statistics last season. Shough, who is scheduled to play his seventh season of college football in the fall after being granted a medical hardship waiver, fills Louisville's need for an experienced quarterback.
Though Shough has dealt with his share of what he deemed “freak injuries” over the past few years, his skill set as a pocket passer with a strong arm makes him a good fit in Brohm’s system.
Running backs
Lost: None
Gained: Donald Chaney, Miami
Isaac Guerendo can return to Louisville for another season or leave college. His decision will affect how the running back room looks next season. Chaney's commitment to Louisville is insurance for the Cardinals. His added experience will help to either make up for Guerendo’s departure or add another running back with ACC experience to a room that also includes Maurice Turner, who Brohm said is going to be “a big piece of our team next year.”
Though it will be difficult to replace Jawhar Jordan, the Cardinals still will have reliable backs this fall, and two more — Keyjuan “Bama” Brown and Kaden Moorman — will look to earn more playing time. Both made their collegiate debuts against Murray State.
Wide receivers
Lost: Ahmari Huggins-Bruce, Kevin Coleman, Elijah Downing, William Fowles
Gained: Caullin Lacy, South Alabama; Ja’Corey Brooks, Alabama
Aside from its defensive line, Louisville lost more wide receivers than any other position group. Huggins-Bruce and Coleman, who transferred from Jackson State, were starters last season. Even with the departures, which also included Jamari Thrash declaring for the NFL draft, the receiver cupboard is anything but bare. Chris Bell, the team’s second-leading and biggest receiver, is returning, and the Cardinals brought in two highly touted transfers from the state of Alabama: Lacy and Brooks, who were ranked 23rd and eighth, respectively, among portal receivers, per 247Sports. Though Brooks struggled with an ongoing shoulder injury last season, he averaged 15.7 yards per catch at Alabama. Lacy was a 1,000-yard receiver and can follow in the footsteps of Tyler Hudson, who became the Cardinals’ seventh 1,000-yard receiver in 2022, and Thrash as Louisville transfer receivers who made successful transitions to the Power Five.
Tight ends
Lost: None
Gained: Izayah Cummings, Kentucky; Tanner Koziol, Ball State; Mark Redman, San Diego State
Louisville's tight ends lacked depth and experience in 2023. The silver lining was that all six of the rostered tight ends played in at least one game last season and gained experience. The Cardinals won’t have the same scenario this fall with the addition of three tight ends from the portal. A year after Brohm’s homecoming, Cummings will have a similar experience: The Male High School graduate is set to play for his hometown university. Cummings' addition as a veteran is crucial at a position that Brohm has referred to as one of the most important on the field. Redman and Koziol also were key parts of their previous teams and will provide the Cardinals with depth and experience. In addition to the portal adds, U of L also is expected to return everyone but Joey Gatewood, who is out of eligibility.
Offensive linemen
Lost: Izaiah Reed, Vincent Lumia
Gained: Jonathan Mendoza, Yale; Monroe Mills, Texas Tech; Victor Cutler, Ohio State; Pete Nygra, Northern Illinois
For the second straight offseason, Brohm prioritized adding offensive linemen from the transfer portal and had great success. Mills can be to Shough this year what Eric Miller was to Plummer last year after Mills blocked for Shough at Texas Tech. Mills gave up only two sacks last year and had the third-best pass blocking grade on the team (79.3). With the graduation of Bryan Hudson, Cutler and Nygra give the Cardinals options at center. Both have starting experience at the spot. Nygra didn't allow a sack as Northern Illinois’ starting center last year.
Given Brohm’s desire to have depth in the trenches, he likely will add offensive linemen during the spring. Only two of the top 25 offensive linemen in the portal are uncommitted: tackles Lance Heard (LSU) and Ashanti Cole (Grambling), who are ranked second and 13th, respectively.
Defensive linemen
Lost: Kam Wilson, Popeye Williams, Rodney McGraw, Jeff Clark, Ryheem Craig, Victoine Brown
Gained: Thor Griffith, Harvard; Jordan Guerad, Florida International
The Cardinals’ depth at receiver last year was rivaled only by their seemingly endless supply of defensive linemen. Ten linemen played in at least 10 games, which kept the line fresh and helped the Cardinals rank among the nation's best. Even though six players transferred, U of L returns key players including Ashton Gillotte, Dez Tell and Ramon Puryear. By adding Griffith, a top prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft, and Guerad, Louisville is set to have another strong defensive line in 2024.
Linebackers
Lost: Darrian Bell, Keith Brown, Jackson Hamilton
Gained: None
Louisville won't miss much production with the departures of Bell, Brown and Hamilton. Of the three, Hamilton played the most with 55 snaps over seven games. The Cardinals have talent in TJ Quinn, the team’s leading tackler, Stanquan Clark and Antonio Watts, who had the team’s highest pass rush grade (83.1), but it wouldn’t hurt to add a few more linebackers to the mix.
Though Louisville lost three linebackers to the transfer portal, it didn’t sign any. Meanwhile, four of the top 25 linebackers in the portal remain unsigned: No. 2 Tackett Curtis (Southern California), No. 13 Jaheim Thomas (Arkansas), No. 15 Ozzie Nicholas (Princeton) and No. 18 Stone Blanton (South Carolina).
Defensive backs
Lost: Derrick Edwards, Josh Minkins, Marquis Groves-Killebrew
Gained: Jalen Kimber, Florida; Tayon Holloway, North Carolina; Blake Ruffin, Eastern Illinois; Corey Thornton, UCF
Seven cornerbacks and eight safeties played for Louisville last season. Of those, the team lost three corners and three safeties to either the NFL draft or the portal. With Quincy Riley yet to publicly announce if he’s staying, the next most experienced returning cornerback is Trey Franklin, who played 39 defensive snaps and totaled nine tackles in 14 games played. That’s where Kimber, Holloway and Thornton come in. Thornton and Kimber are veterans with starting experience who had the first- and fourth-highest coverage grades on their respective teams last year. Though Holloway is young, he started six times as a redshirt freshman for North Carolina.
Though MJ Griffin’s expected return is welcomed, Ruffin, a Trinity High School graduate, can help replace the production lost by Cam Kelly, the team’s third-leading tackler. Ruffin led Eastern Illinois with four interceptions and had the fourth-best overall defensive grade (82.1) and second-best coverage mark (88.6) on the team.
Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville football: How Jeff Brohm reshaped roster with portal
