Tuesday afternoon Cardinal news and notes

—Louisville Report starts an offseason series by ranking the top five quarterbacks in Cardinal football history.

—Elly De La Cruz’s time in Louisville has officially come to an end, as the No. 1 prospect in baseball has been called up by the Reds. Bats manager Pat Kelly did a good job with the reveal.

—De La Cruz made a new fan during his time in the Derby City: Jack Harlow.

—”Baby Gronk” isn’t actually related to Rob Gronkowski and he’s only, I believe, 9-years-old, but the kid has gone viral a number of times so getting him on campus is another savvy move by Jeff Brohm and company.

—What’s up with today’s PGA and LIV Golf merger? Here’s a full breakdown.

—ESPN ranks Louisville’s transfer portal class as the 10th-best in college football for the upcoming season.

10. Louisville Cardinals

Top impact newcomers: WR Jamari Thrash (Georgia State transfer), CB Storm Duck (North Carolina transfer), DE Stephen Herron (Stanford transfer), WR Kevin Coleman Jr. (Jackson State transfer)

2023 recruiting class ranking finish: 32nd

Jeff Brohm and his staff added a lot of experienced players through the portal while also addressing the Cardinals’ depth. With QB Malik Cunningham gone, they picked Jack Plummer, who spent the first part of his college career with Brohm at Purdue but threw for over 3,000 yards at Cal last year. Thrash (61 catches, 1,100 yards) might not be one of the most well-known names but is likely among Louisville’s biggest impact additions. Coleman was a big recruiting win for Deion Sanders and Jackson State as an ESPN 300 recruit in the 2022 cycle, and he makes the FBS jump after a productive freshman season.

After transferring from UNC to Penn State during the winter, Duck transferred to Louisville after being named a second-team All-ACC cornerback as a Tar Heel. Herron is another defender coming to Louisville off his most productive season, and the former Cardinal should immediately contribute up front.

Long-term overview: Don’t sleep on the talented youth. Transfer DBs Marquis Groves-Killebrew (Texas A&M) and Marcus Washington (Georgia) are 2022 ESPN 300 prospects who arrive with Power 5 tools and time on their side. QB Brady Allen follows Brohm from Purdue, where he was an ESPN 300 signee in the Boilermakers’ 2022 class. While the Cards added some talented underclassman prospects in the portal, they also signed some prospects to develop in their 2023 class. Adonijah Green is a lengthy DL with good quickness and a high ceiling for development. Coleman is only entering his second season as a college wideout, and 2023 ESPN 300 signee William Fowles was an early enrollee.

—On the 19th anniversary of D-Day, Louisville area World War II veterans were honored this morning at Bowman Field.

—Class of 2025 U of L WR target Cortez Mills is enjoying the recruiting process.

—There’s not a rivalry in sports more fueled by talk of not playing the other team than Kentucky-Indiana.

Kentucky will face fifth-seeded LSU in Baton Rouge in its second ever Super Regional appearance this weekend. The Bat Cats were swept by Louisville the only other time they advanced past the regional stage.

—The top three roster spots on Power 5 and Big East teams in men’s college basketball averaged $75K in NIL earnings last year.

—The Louisville men’s tennis team stands at No. 34 in the final Intercollegiate Tennis Association team rankings. The Cardinals’ doubles team of Natan Rodrigues and Fabien Salle finish the season at No. 9, while Salle, Rodrigues and Etienne Donnet are all among the ITA’s ranked singles players in the final singles rankings of the 2023 campaign.

—There’s an interesting clause in the contract of Morehead State hoops coach Preston Spradlin.

—Racing Louisville’s Savannah DeMelo has been named the NWSL’s Player of the Month for May.

—Georgia athlete Cameron Flowers has set a date for his visit to U of L.

—I fully expect Yasir to be a guy who hangs around the league for a solid amount of time.

—New Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken is all about unlocking the “Super Saiyan-version” of Lamar Jackson.

—Jessica Hadwin, the wife of former U of L golfer Adam Hadwin, torched him after a disastrous Friday caused him to miss the cut at The Memorial last week.

—The no confidence vote situation at Bellarmine is certainly an interesting one.

—And finally, the U of L track and field teams will be well-represented at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships this week/weekend in Austin.