Louisville Football Transfer Portal Watchlist

Louisville football started off the offseason as a loser in the transfer portal but the staff has worked their way back to building one of the better transfer classes in the country. 247 ranks Louisville's 2022 transfer class as the second-best in the ACC and the staff is working to take the top spot.

While Louisville is full from a scholarship standpoint, there are options to add players who will count towards the 2023 class and there is still the possibility that they could lose more players to the portal. With some options at their disposal, the staff is identifying defensive linemen and wide receivers in the portal. The staff has focused on nose tackle at this point and they already have a big-time visitor scheduled for a visit.

As for wide receiver, things will likely move at a slower pace with the potential for the staff to play the long game. Losing Tyler Harrell to the portal changed things for the wide receiver room and there is now a need to add some depth at the outside receiver spot. The question that I think is worth asking is if the staff needs to bring in a player who could replace Harrell’s potential role as a starter and the volume of his production? Or can they take in a complementary deep threat that will try to replace what Harrell brought to the team last year? My personal guess is the latter.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

Jermayne Lole

I wrote about Lole on Monday. There isn’t a player in the portal that would be a bigger score for the Louisville staff. Lole would fill a need in the middle of the line while also providing some versatility as a pass rusher in passing situations. He is scheduled to visit on May 13th and has three other visits after that.

I think UofL is in good shape here if they can provide a strong NIL potential for Lole. He has made it clear that he is looking for better NIL deals during this process.

Stephon Wynn

Wynn is a grad transfer prospect who is leaving Alabama after not seeing the field much. Bama obviously has plenty of talent on the defensive line so it makes sense that teams are working to bring Wynn in to utilize his 6-4/300 frame and experience in Nick Saban’s program. Wynn was an outstanding high school recruit and I’m willing to bet that he would be productive for most teams in the country.

Wynn is taking a visit to Nebraska and the Huskers media folks seem to think they are good to get his commitment but I wouldn’t be surprised if he takes more visits. I just don’t know that a guy who has been waiting to play for four years would settle on a destination without taking his time. But I could be wrong.

Joseph Evans

The portal is pretty barren once you get past Wynn but I would really like to see the staff take a run at Evans if they can’t get Lole. Evans was a starter at LSU before he was injured last season. LSU never reported if he missed the rest of the year due to injury or something else but unless he has some sort of major red flags, I think UofL should consider him. Evans got a good amount of snaps in the SEC and he has the size you want at 6-1/306.

WIDE RECEIVER

Deion Smith

Smith is completely a “wish” type of player for me. I don’t think that UofL is pursuing him but I really hope they kick the tires. Smith is a guy who showed some star potential during his short time at LSU and I think that he would be a guy that Louisville could utilize in a few different ways. The Athletic has reported that he has some work to do in the classroom to be able to transfer but that could play in his favor. As the portal runs out of options for teams he could be in a position to pick the best spot for him during the summer. Maybe UofL could be that option.

Joshua Moore

Moore has plenty of red flags as he reportedly got into an argument with his head coach, was benched, and then transferred. He then announced his commitment to Texas Tech before switching to SMU and now he’s back on the market. But he’s insanely talented and he was extremely productive during his time at Texas. If you can get the 2020 version of Joshua Moore and feel good about him not being a cancer to your team, you take him.

I apologize for this long video with commentary but it was the best I could find.

Matt Landers

The Toledo transfer didn’t put up big numbers last season but he was able to get on the field and get a good amount of snaps at Georgia before he moved on to Toledo so it’s worth the time of the staff to vet him out. Landers averaged 25.7 yards per catch last season but nearly half of his yards on the season came on three catches. However, Landers led the country in 80+ yard catches and you can’t ignore that.

Landers spent time at Georgia during the time that Ben Sowders was there so the staff has an inside source on vetting him. I wasn’t too high on him until I watched some of his highlights and his speed looks legit. If the staff is looking to add an outside deep threat to compliment what they have, Landers seems to fit that bill.

Latrell Neville

Louisville has made it pretty clear that they want to add transfers who have shown that they can play at the power-five level or have shown that they are a high-level player at whatever lower level they’re coming from. Neville hasn’t shown anything yet because he didn’t get on the field at Nebraska this year. However, he has great size and at one point, he was one of the highest-rated recruits in the country. For whatever reason, he tumbled down the rankings, and not getting on the field for a bad Nebraska team doesn’t bode well for what type of player he is. But, you can’t ignore the type of size and speed he brings and it may not be a bad idea to bring in a young guy who can develop with good coaching.

Koy Moore

Moore is another young player that I think UofL should look into. He ended the 2020 season with 22 catches but he didn’t put up a lot of yards and didn’t score a touchdown. From what I’ve been able to find on video, Moore doesn’t appear to have great speed but the fact that he returned some kicks makes me wonder if he has good quickness. He has good size and he was a high-level recruit a couple of years ago. He may be worth a look.

Tarique Milton

This is a sleeper option to me as Milton has been in the portal for a while and he’s a veteran player with proven production. But he’s still in the portal. That typically means there is an issue that we don’t know about or the player may be looking for a specific spot as a grad transfer. I can’t blame anyone for that but at some point, Milton will have to make a call and UofL could sell the potential to play both inside and outside in their offense.

Milton is listed at 5-10/195 but he played outside at Iowa State a good amount so he could do the same at Louisville. But I do wonder if the staff wants to bring in a guy as a deep threat who doesn’t have great length. Milton can take a slant and outrun a defense but if you want a guy who could compete for contested balls down the field I don’t know that he fits.