Louisville football learned earlier this afternoon that the Cardinals' quarterback depth chart took another hit. Louisville fans saw fan-favorite and redshirt freshman Deuce Adams enter the portal, leaving Louisville with just two quarterbacks on their depth chart.
While the fans and the program are high on 4-star incoming freshman Briggs Cherry, Adams's leaving for the portal opens the door even bigger for Brohm to go get that star quarterback he wants. So, now that Adams is gone, and Louisville is in dire need of another quarterback, the Cardinals will officially hit the portal for the fourth season in a row.
Brohm has hit the portal every season since he took over as head coach in 2023. With the portal opening up in just a few days, we wanted to list five targets Louisville must target after Deuce Adams enters the portal.
5. Colton Joseph
Someone we are high on who hasn’t received much attention is Old Dominion transfer Colton Joseph. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound transfer is coming off a dominant season for Old Dominion, as he has thrown for a combined 4,251 yards and 32 touchdowns, and added 1,654 rushing yards and 24 rushing touchdowns.
He will have to make the jump to Power Four football, which of course, isn’t easy, but he is ranked No. 99 in the portal and No. 14 quarterback. Last year he threw for 2,624 yards and 21 touchdowns and rushed for 1,007 yards and 13 touchdowns, and led Old Dominion to a 10-3 record.
So, if Louisville wants to get an elite duel-threat quarterback who has proven he can win games and extend plays, but at the same time save some money, Joseph is a great option.
4. Deuce Knight
A dream target for this Louisville fan base is a dual-threat QB who Jeff Brohm can coach for more than one season. An ideal candidate is Deuce Knight, an Auburn transfer known for his strong arm and rushing ability. Knight is a 5-star recruit, ranked as high as No. 28 nationally and the fifth-best quarterback in the 2025 class.
He now enters the portal after just one season with the Tigers and is immediately one of the top transfers available for the upcoming season. As a recent transfer, he has multiple years of eligibility remaining, making him a highly appealing target. Louisville fans want someone who can use their legs and someone whom Brohm can develop, and Knight emerges as one of the best targets.
In 2025, he played in just two games, including his standout performance against Mercer, where he completed 75 percent of his passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns.
3. DJ Lagway
One of the top players in the Transfer Portal that Louisville fans are following is Florida transfer DJ Lagway. The elite quarterback entered the portal earlier in the month, and immediatley Louisville emerged as a school to keep an eye on.
Jeff Brohm made it clear he wants a star quarterback, and reports said Lagway and his camp would have been excited if Florida had hired Brohm. So, there are ties with Lagway and Brohm, and with Lagway's potential, he is quickly one of the Cards' top targets. He has a turnover concern that Louisville fans have expressed they don’t like, as he threw 14 interceptions last year to his 16 touchdowns, but with Brohm in his ear and developing him, Lagway would likely reach his 5-star potential.
He is a former 5-star recruit who is now a 4-star transfer. He ranked as high as No. 3 in the 2024 class and No. 1 QB, and is now the No. 6 overall player in the portal and the No. 3 QB. Lagway has thrown for 4,179 yards in two seasons, while adding 28 passing touchdowns and completing 62 percent of his passes.
Related: 3 reasons DJ Lagway would fit be a perfect fit for the Louisville Cardinals
2. Josh Hoover
Over the last couple of days, rumors have surfaced that Louisville is in conversation with TCU transfer Josh Hoover. The TCU transfer is immediatley one of the top QBs in the portal after his four seasons with the Horned Frogs. If Louisville wants someone with experience and who passes the eye test, Hoover is another excellent option.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder has plenty of experience, having started every game for TCU over the past two seasons, and eight in 2023. He has thrown for 9,629 yards in his college career while completing 65.2 percent of his 1,183 passes. He has also thrown 71 touchdowns to 33 interceptions.
In 2024, Hoover broke the school’s record for passing yards with 3,949 passing yards and added 27 touchdowns. This past season, he added 3,472 passing yards and 29 passing touchdowns, completing around 66 percent of his passes in both seasons. He emerges as a dream target for Louisville fans who would immediatley elevate this offense.
1. Dylan Raiola
One of Louisville's top targets is Nebraska transfer Dylan Raiola. The former 5-star recruit has been linked with a few teams with just a few days remaining before the portal opens, and the Cardinals were one of them. Brohm is attracting elite quarterbacks to this University, and almost immediately after Raiola hit the portal, Louisville became a team to watch.
While some don’t think he would be a good fit, Raiola’s playing style and skill set align closely with the kind of quarterbacks Brohm typically succeeds with. Brohm is known for developing and growing quarterbacks who are accurate and poised, and Raiola, with his strong arm and decision-making ability, fits well into that mold. With Raiola possibly playing two more seasons in college football, he is one of the best targets available for Brohm’s system.
With Nebraska, he gained great experience, throwing for 4,819 yards in two seasons, including his true freshman season, when he threw for 2,819 yards. This past season, he threw for 2,000 exactly and added 18 touchdowns in just nine games, and is now ranked No. 7 in the portal and the fourth-best QB.
Related: 3 glaring reasons Dylan Raiola would be a perfect fit at Louisville