Louisville’s passing game under transfer quarterback Miller Moss has yet to fully click through two games, but coming out of a Week 3 bye, it could get a significant boost with the likely return of tight end Nate Kurisky. Kurisky is yet to play this season due to a hand injury, but he is expected to be back on the field for the first time as Louisville hosts Bowling Green in its final non-conference tune-up before opening ACC play with Pitt in Week 5.
Last season, the 6-foot-3, 240-pound tight end caught 12 passes for 112 yards and three touchdowns after a freshman year with 18 grabs for 141 yards and two scores. Now, a redshirt junior, Kurisky has an opportunity to be one of Moss’s top targets, along with being a factor in the run game, blocking for the dynamic running back duo of Isaac Brown and Duke Watson.
Through the first two games of the season, with wins over Eastern Kentucky and James Madison, redshirt junior tight end Jaleel Skinner leads the tight end group with two catches on four targets for 35 yards. Redshirt senior Jacob Stewart has hauled in both of his targets for 16 yards.
Last season, Skinner made just one catch for four yards while senior Mark Redman was the team’s leading tight end with 256 yards and three touchdowns on 24 catches. With both Redman and Jamari Johnson gone, Louisville’s 2025 tight ends have 51 targets and 37 catches to replace.
Jeff and Brian Brohm’s passing game typically funnels to the outside receivers, and so far in 2025, Chris Bell has been the centerpiece of the aerial attack, with 16 targets and nine catches for 146 yards and a touchdown. Bell is running over 80 percent of his routes from the outside, which leaves space for slot receiver Caullin Lacy and a talented tight end group to operate over the middle of the field.
Kurisky will be a big target and a potential chain-mover for Moss, who has continued to get the ball out quickly with Louisville, a skill that was on display with USC last season. Moss’s average time to throw of 2.74 seconds is seventh in the ACC, and could come down as he faces more fearsome pass rushes in conference play.
Latest Nate Kurisky injury update:
On Monday, Jeff Brohm stated that “Nate should be back this week, which will be good.” So barring any gameday setbacks from his hand injury, Kurisky will take the field for the first time this season in Week 4 against Bowling Green at L&N Stadium in Louisville.