Louisville football is expected to have some high expectations entering the 2026 season as the Cardinals are ranked as high as No. 14 in ESPN's way-too-early rankings. Louisville was able to keep key players like Isaac Brown and also recruited at a high level from the Transfer Portal.
Louisville went on to have a big-time run in the Transfer Portal this offseason, as Jeff Brohm added 30 transfers. The Cardinals added some elite players who are expected to make an immediate impact in Week 1 against Ole Miss in Nashville, including multiple 4-star transfers.
Louisville had to rebuild many positions this offseason after losing multiple starters on offense and defense. So, with the portal chaos over and Brohm bringing in some immediate gamechangers on offense and defense, here are three Louisville football transfers who will take over and shine right away for the Louisville Cardinals.
3. Koen Entringer
Iowa transfer Koen Entringer is one of three safeties to transfer to Louisville this offseason via the Transfer Portal. The former Hawkeye is coming off a career season after earning All-Big Ten honors after logging a career high 73 tackles, four pass break-ups, 3.5 tackles for a loss, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
With Louisville losing its top three safeties from the 2025 season, Entringer is poised for another breakout season, as he is not only a dominant force in the secondary but also brings veteran leadership. Last year, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound safety was a captain in every game for Iowa, and with a brand new secondary, the Cardinals are excited to see him take over and make an immediate impact for Louisville’s defense.
2. Tre Richardson
Tre Richardson is ranked as the Cardinals' biggest portal addition this offseason after he ranks No. 66 overall and No. 14 among wide receivers in the Transfer Portal. The Vanderbilt transfer is expected to be Louisville’s newest WR1 after Chris Bell and Caullin Lacy head for the NFL Draft.
Richardson is coming off an impressive season in the SEC with the Commodores after he earned a team-high 806 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns while catching 46 passes. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound wide receiver is a speedy receiver who can blow by his defender and emerge as an elite deep threat for this Cardinals offense. Brohm’s offense is expected to be highly explosive in 2026, and Richardson is set to play a major role.
1. Lincoln Kienholz
Louisville was in dire need of a quarterback after Miller Moss graduated, and three quarterbacks hit the Transfer Portal. Brohm found his next QB1 in Ohio State transfer and former 4-star recruit Lincoln Kienholz. The former 4-star has a ton of upside, as he was a unanimous 4-star prospect and ranked as high as No. 10 at quarterback in the 2023 recruiting class.
He has crazy accuracy, as in his last two seasons in high school, he threw 86 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions, and combined for 9,100 yards and 104 touchdowns in his three years as a starter. With Brohm being one of the best quarterback developers in college football, it appears to be a perfect match for both Louisville and Kienholz. Despite him not earning a ton of reps at Ohio State, he had the potential, as he was competing for the starting role last season before Ryan Day elected to go with Julian Sayin.
There will be a lot of pressure on Kienholz, but the former 4-star is in a great position to succeed and is expected to lead this offense to be one of the most explosive groups in the ACC.