Breaking:A diffensive back M.J. Griffin announce his departure and decommit from Louisville Cardinals football due to…
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (KT) – Catching up with Jeff Brohm’s Louisville football team while waiting for Pat Kelsey to add another brick in his hoops rebuilding job against Virginia Saturday with an eighth consecutive victory.
This has been a busy 1 1/2 months for Brohm, who has continued his heavy reliance on the transfer portal by adding 20 since the portal opened on Dec. 9, a group that ranks in the top 15 nationally and No. 3 among Atlantic Coast Conference .
The latest addition is former Akron wide receiver Bobby Golden (5-8, 180), who finished the past season as the Zips No.2 pass catcher behind all-MAC Adrian Norton with 31 catches for 446 yards and a touchdown. He was Akron’s top kick returner, totaling 316 yards on 17 tries. The Cards’ only other receiver from the portal is T.J. McWilliams from Minnesota.
The transfers include five offensive linemen, five defensive backs, five defensive linemen, two linebackers, two wideouts and quarterback Miller Moss from USC, who is one of seven from the Power 5 conferences. And Brohm probal isn’t finished yet.
No running backs or tight ends are on the list. All 20 signees are expected to arrive on campus next week for the spring semester. U of L also signed 15 high school prospects, 11 of whom will also enroll for this semester.
Among them are five of the highest-ranked recruits in the class — CJ May, an edge rusher from Highland Home, Ala.; Oxford, Ala. quarterback Mason Mims; North Oldham safety Micah Rice; Venice, Fla. running back Jamarice Wilder; and Seffner, Fla. linebacker Cameron White.
The portal is a double-edged sword, of course. Louisville has lost 16 players who decided to transfer. That number was originally 19, but three have decided to withdraw from the portal and return to U of L including running back Keyjuan Brown, who committed to Boise State a week ago.
“Yes, there’s a lot more involved but that’s where we’re at now,” Brohm said recently. “Your roster can change, so you have got to be on top of that and make sure you’re managing it and it’s kind of a constant deal that you hope to build good relationships with your players so you have an idea of what could or may happen, even though it’s not always perfect. Communicate that as much as you can and adjust accordingly.”
Brown is the most recent to change his mind. He appeared in 11 games this past season, rushing for 243 yards and three touchdowns on 47 carries, averaging 5.2 yards per attempt. His season high of 66 yards came in the season opener against Austin Peay. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
ISAAC BROWN HONORED–Running back Isaac Brown was named a first team Freshman All-American Tuesday by the Football Writers Association of America as an all-purpose player. He had already been named ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year and Rookie of the Year.
Brown led the Cardinals in rushing (1,178 yards) and touchdowns (11), while becoming the first true freshman in program history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. He ran for 178 yards and two TDs in the win over Kentucky and gained 99 yards in the victory over Washington in the Sun Bowl.
