Louisville football is just 10 days away from kickoff against Eastern Kentucky at L&N Stadium. The offseason flew by, and the Cardinals are emerging as a sleeper pick for many college football experts to crash the 2025 College Football Playoffs.
With the expectations so high and the season right around the corner, it is time to get everyone familiar with the new names who are likely going to start week one for Jeff Brohm. The Cardinals lost some key players on both sides of the ball, meaning they had a lot of talent to replace.
Louisville is relying on players to step up who were on the team last year, but Brohm hit the Transfer Portal hard and is expecting his offseason additions to fill a lot of their holes. So, here are five transfers who will start week one for Louisville football in 2025.
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5 transfers who will start week one for Louisville football in 2025
5. Miller Moss - QB
The one transfer every Louisville fan already knows is their starting quarterback, Miller Moss. Coming over to the Cardinals from USC, Moss has logged a total of 10 starts in 21 games, and has thrown for 3,469 yards, 27 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, while completing 65.6 percent of his passes.
Moss has had a couple of games where he stands out and shows why he was recruited at such a high level. The former USC Trojan threw six touchdown passes and 372 yards against Louisville in the Holiday Bowl. The most recent game in which he demonstrated a special talent was against LSU when he threw for 378 yards while completing 75 percent of his passes.
Now, Moss must make the transition to play under Brohm and be his next star quarterback, and help lead Louisville to its first ACC Title.
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4. Rodney Johnson Jr. - CB
Another name that many fans might have heard this offseason is the cornerback transfer from Southern University, Rodney Johnson Jr. The star cornerback is making a big jump from the Southwestern Athletic Conference to the ACC, but he has been a player who has seen his stock skyrocket this fall.
Ron English has vocalized about Johnson multiple times this camp about how impressed he is, and the cornerback is also simply passing the eye test. His ability to track the ball is one key reason why he will start, as last season he earned 35 total tackles, 5.0 tackles for a loss, one forced fumble, and one interception.
The Cardinals' secondary is one of the most concerning positions for the fans entering the 2025 season, and the 6-foot-2 200 200-pound transfer is emerging as their top cornerback for the 2025 season.
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3. Wesley Bailey - DE
Outside of cornerback, the Cardinals fans are closely watching the defensive line, and transfer from Rutgers, Wesley Bailey, is making an immediate impact. The defensive end has some big shoes to fill as All-American Ashton Gillotte is now in the NFL, but this fall camp, Bailey has proven it is his time to shine.
The 6-foot-5 265 265-pound senior will get the nod to start over New Mexico State transfer Justin Beadles. Bailey is coming over to Louisville, where he earned 9.5 sacks with Rutgers in four years, as well as seven pass deflections. His best season came in 2023, when he earned 25 tackles, 4.0 sacks, and three pass deflections.
With the Cards' inexperience in the secondary unit, Bailey and his defensive line have to dominate the trenches and provide pressure on the opposing quarterbacks. Expect Bailey to take a big jump this season in a Cardinals uniform and to make a name for himself early in the season.
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2. Mahamane Moussa - OL
Louisville lost some key players on its offensive line, including Jonathan Mendoza. The Cardinals will now turn to Mahamane Moussa, the transfer offensive lineman from Purdue. The Cardinals are expected to be one of the best rushing attacks in college football, and if they want that to happen, Moussa is going to play a huge role.
The 6-foot-4, 300-pound lineman started for Purdue in every game over the last three seasons and had his best season last year. Moussa allowed just two sacks last season and 25 total pressures on 380 pass block snaps and 655 blocking snaps.
The Cardinals' offensive line has been an area of concern this fall camp, and if Louisville wants Moss to play like he did against Louisville in 2023, then Moussa, Pete Nygra, and others must step up and protect their quarterback. Moussa has played under Brohm before; before coaching at Louisville, Brohm was Moussa's head coach for his first two seasons.
Now, the two rejoin at Louisville with higher expectations as he emerges as the favorite to start at right tackle in week one.
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1. JoJo Evans - S
The most important position for Louisville fans entering the 2025 season is their secondary. The Cardinals' secondary lost four of their top five defensive backs, leaving D'Angelo Hutchinson expected to take a big leap this season. Joining Hutchinson in the safety room is transfer from Florida International University, JoJo Evans.
Last season, Evans put up insane numbers with FIU as he logged 93 total tackles (52 solo), seven pass deflections, two interceptions, and forced a fumble. He posted career highs in multiple stats and went on to earn First Team All-Conference USA. Now he makes the transition to the ACC, and while English has voiced that he has some areas that need improvement, he is also impressed with his progress.
Evans is one of the Cardinals' stars in the secondary this fall camp and has emerged as a leader for the secondary unit. The senior transfer is trending to be the starting free safety for Louisville. If he can have a season like he did last year, then this secondary is poised for a season similar to 2023 and guide Louisville back to the ACC Championship game.
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For all the latest on Louisville football's offseason, stay tuned.