Louisville football: Taking one last look at the NCAA transfer portal

William Bradley-King – DE

Arkansas State, Senior**

2019 stats: 49 tackles, 13.5 TFL, 8.5 sacks, 3 FF, 2 FR

To me, the biggest question mark heading into the 2020 season is whether or not the Louisville football defensive line will be able to take another step forward.

In 2018 the front four for Louisville was arguably the least productive part of the team and one of the biggest reasons why the defense faced so many troubles throughout the season. With nearly the same group of players returning in 2019, new defensive coordinator Bryan Brown and defensive line coach Mark Ivey had their work cut out for them.

A group led by seniors G.G. Robinson and Amonte Caban improved mightily, collecting 134 tackles and nine sacks, but still suffered from some of the same issues that plagued them the year before.

The 2020 defensive line will have the fortune of playing for the same defensive coordinator for the first time in their tenure, as a young but talented group will look to become even more dangerous.

Without question, the biggest need is at defensive line for the Cards and it would be my first guess of where Scott Satterfield and staff look should they want to fill any remaining roster spots for 2020.

We highlighted a few defensive linemen who made this offseason as additions and now with the offseason in full effect, the portal is fairly bare. That’s what makes a player like William Bradley-King an intriguing option.

The Arkansas State defensive linemen entered the portal after a breakout season where he accrued 49 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, and a team-high 8.5 sacks, becoming one of the most productive defensive players in all of C-USA. The timing of his transfer is one that makes things interesting considering no visits are allowed to take place due to COVID-19 restrictions, but with Louisville having open scholarships they should and could be a player.

He now becomes the most attractive player on the market and could instantly be a difference-maker for Louisville. While Satterfield and company have brought in several talented high school players to fill their need at defensive line, they still are lacking the star power and proven productivity. Bradley-Jackson would instantly give them an experienced contributor off the edge with good size at 6’4, 248-pounds who showed in 2018 the ability to disrupt plays in opposing offenses backfield.

Louisville will have significantly more bodies on the front line than they did last season as they welcome in players with a ton of potential in Henry Bryant and Ja’Darien Boykin (as well as others), which will without question help their chances of taking another step in Satterfield’s second season. But without a proven-difference maker, we could be watching players without the needed experience or productivity in starting roles which could cause struggles in stretches in 2020.

Bringing nearly 100 tackles and 15 sacks over the course of his three-year career, Bradley-King can be the difference-maker for the Cards who helps fill the gap between the unproven young players and the group of veterans who played in backup roles in 2019. Alongside of Boykin, Peterson, Jared Goldwire, and others, Louisville’s defensive line could be quite a force with the Arkansas State transfer in 2020.