Louisville football added 30 players this offseason via the Transfer Portal, but they also lost a few key players. The Cardinals' offseason ranks as high as No. 5 in the country by On3 Sports and is a large reason they are ranked as high as No. 14 in ESPN’s way-too-early rankings.
The Cards were able to recruit from within and avoid losing big-time players like Isaac Brown, Keyjuan Brown, AJ Green, Antonio Watts, Clev Lubin, and many others from their 2025 roster. However, Jeff Brohm and Vince Marrow couldn’t keep them all as the Cardinals saw 31 players enter the Transfer Portal this offseason.
While some of them made sense and were a good move for their football career, a few of them might end up regretting it for many reasons. So, here are three Louisville football players who made a transfer portal misstep in 2026.
3. Corey Gordon Jr.
Louisville lost multiple key pieces from its secondary from last season, including its two starters in D'Angelo Hutchinson and Jojo Evans. With these former starters graduating, it set up key role player Corey Gordon Jr. to make a jump and potentially compete for a starting job next to Koen Entringer. However, Gordon hit the portal and committed to the Kansas Jayhawks, who finished 5-7 last season.
With the Cardinals losing a lot of pieces in their safety room this offseason, Louisville went to the portal and landed Travaris Banks, Kaleb Beasley, and Entringer. However, entering the offseason, the hope was for Gordon to return and to bring the experience into next season, but after he entered the portal, it forced Louisville to go all-in and attack this position hard this offseason. Louisville has high expectations next season, and while Kansas fans hope to be better than 5-7 next year, they likely won’t be on the same level as the Cardinals.
2. Jerry Lawson
With Louisville losing two big pieces on its interior for its defensive line in Jordan Guerad and Rene Konga, many were thinking Jerry Lawson could step up and play a key role in 2026. However, Lawson hit the portal and is now committed to Oklahoma State. While the Cowboys had a massive offseason, bringing in 54 transfers, it feels like Lawson could have had a chance to play for a better team in the same role if he had stayed with Louisville.
The Cardinals went to the portal after Lawson transferred and got Joshua Donald, Tommy Ziesmer, and Demeco Kennedy, all of whom have potential to make an immediate impact, but no one stands out as someone who would start over Lawson if he stayed. The former Cardinal will likely go and start for Oklahoma State, but if he had stayed with Louisville, he would have had a good chance not only to start but also to be part of this dominant defensive line with Clev Lubin and AJ Green.
1. Deuce Adams
Louisville might have added Lincoln Kienholz this offseason, but it certainly feels like Deuce Adams made a lateral move transferring to Wisconsin to play behind Colton Joseph. Cardinals fans showed their support for Adams last offseason, liking him as a backup and as a dual-threat option. Adams will now sit in the exact same spot for the Badgers behind a junior quarterback who just transferred to Wisconsin this offseason.
With Adams set to be a redshirt sophomore next season, he had a chance to be a backup for Brohm, get developed over the next two seasons, and potentially compete for a starting job his final year with a Louisville program that appears to be in a better position than the Wisconsin Badgers.