Louisville football fans are buzzing around as Cardinals fans think this could possibly be a year they keep moving forward.
With Jeff Brohm as their head coach, anything is possible, and UofL is projected to come around fourth in the ACC, behind Clemson, Miami, and SMU. If Cardinals want to compete for the ACC crown and get past their brutal schedule, the Louisville football team must start thinking about the spring transfer portal.
The spring transfer portal will be open from April 16 and run until April 25. The Cardinals' offense is poised to be explosive, but they still have some areas they need to address.
4 offensive players Louisville football must target in spring transfer portal
So, here are four offensive players Louisville football must target in spring transfer portal.
Tight end- Kendall Carr
It is no secret that Louisville football's biggest hole on the offensive side is their tight end room. Louisville football lost Mark Redman to the NFL and eligibility and then Izayah Cummings to the transfer portal.
The Cardinals' main target in spring should be Kendall Karr out of Coastal Carolina. 6-foot-3, 245-pound tight end out of North Carolina secured 36 receptions for 473 yards and six touchdowns this past season. In 2023, he had his best season, with 23 receptions for 239 yards and five touchdowns.
Miller Moss needs a tight end he can rely on to be a big threat in the middle of the field and for protection, and Karr is just the right fit. Louisville football must address this tight end hole, and there are plenty of names still available, but Karr is without a doubt the best one and has the most potential.
Wide receiver- Johntay Cook II
Louisville football seems like they have a clear WR1 with Caullin Lacy and a solid WR2 with Chris Bell, but after those two, there isn't much. Lacy is coming off an injury, and Bell took a massive step last season as he secured 43 catches for 737 yards and four touchdowns. Lacy and Bell have the potential to both surpass 1,000 receiving yards next year and be an absolutely lethal wide receiver duo.
But Brohm and Deion Branch must try and get that WR3, and Johntay Cook II is the perfect fit. Cook is a 6-foot, 185-pound wide receiver from DeSoto, Texas, and was highly-recruited out of high school. On3 ranked him as high as a 5-star prospect, the No. 31 player in the nation, No. 3 in wide receiver position, and No. 5 recruit out of Texas in his class.
In high school, he secured 165 catches for 2,966 yards and 51 touchdowns, including his final year when he had 84 receptions for 1,470 receiving yards and brought in 22 touchdowns. He would go on and secure a spot on the Under Armour All-American Team.
Cook has battled some issues off the field this offseason, but it still may be worth giving him a chance. He is transferring out of Texas where he secured 16 catches for 173 yards and two touchdowns in two seasons.
Running back- TJ Harden
Yes, Louisville football has Isaac Brown, and he is poised to have maybe one of the best seasons in Cardinals running back history and continue to break history. Yes, they have a great one-two punch with Duke Watson, as Watson led the FBS in yards per carry. However, those two running backs are the only running backs on scholarship in the running back room right now.
That third-string has to be addressed. Jeff Brohm and staff have to get a third string just in case of injuries. Louisville is expected to use their backs a lot next year, as they should, and you can't wear them out in the first few weeks of the season.
TJ Harden is a great option for Louisville to get. Harden started in 11 of UCLA's 12 games last season and averaged 4.1 YPC on 124 carries for 506 rushing yards. He found the end zone twice through the run game and also added 40 catches for 368 yards and one receiving touchdown.
His season highs include 20 carries for 125 rushing yards vs Iowa, and 14 carries for 99 yards against USC. On the receiving end, he secured six catches for 79 receiving yards vs Washington.
Quarterback- Jaden Rashada
Louisville brought in Miller Moss this past offseason, and that is huge for the Cardinals, but it is also good to think about the future. Jaden Rashada is transferring out of Georgia, and this young quarterback has all the skills to become an NFL-calliber player.
He is set to be a junior this season, and, under Jeff Brohm for a year, could take the lead in his senior season. He didn't play a single snap last season with Georgia, but the year prior was with Arizona State, where he threw for 485 yards and four touchdowns on 53.7% completion percentage.
The Cardinals don't have much experience behind Moss as their room consists of Brady Allen, Deuce Adams, and Mason Mims following Miller Moss. Rashada ceiling is worth the gamble, as he was recruited as high as a 4-star prospect, No. 2 in his position, 31st in the nation, per ESPN.