Louisville football: Breaking down the 2023 transfer portal defensive players
By Jake Hook
Stephen Herron – Defensive End – Stanford- 3-Star Transfer
Just a few days after Brohm’s announcement as Louisville’s head coach, Herron decided to go from the Cardinal to the Cardinals for his final season in college.
Stephen Herron came out of Trinity High School in the class of 2019, as one of the best talents in the state, and decided to head out west for his college career.
Like most college players, his first two seasons were slow, appearing in just nine games as a freshman and redshirt freshman, but he started to make an impact by his redshirt sophomore year. Herron appeared in just eight games, but he led the Cardinal in sacks and had 19 tackles.
Here’s the play by Stephen Herron that won the game for Stanford. pic.twitter.com/DD9flJ3GHW
— Dave Lackford, Esq. (@DaveLackfordESQ) December 20, 2020
But last season is when Herron really took off. Herron recorded 37 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, 5.5 sacks & 2 fumble recoveries. Those stats were good enough for Herron to lead the team in sacks and earn All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention as an edge rusher.
After a fourth consecutive season of winning less than five games at Stanford, Herron decided to head back home for his senior season. Herron comes to Louisville with a ton of talent and a need at his position. Louisville lost both Yasir Abdullah and Yaya Diaby to the NFL Draft this Spring, so there will be plenty of opportunities to rush the quarterback.
I expect to see Herron opposite of Asthon Gillotte this season with Popeye Williams coming in off the sidelines to spell them both. It will be tough to replace Yaya, Yasir, and their ability to get to the quarterback, but I’m confident that Herron and Gillotte can get the job done. Herron is another one of Brohm’s best additions from the portal.