Louisville football just added much-needed depth for its secondary as the Cardinals secured a huge pickup from Tennessee transfer Kaleb Beasley. The Cardinals desperately needed to address the safety position as they lost three safeties from the 2025 season, including its two starters in D'Angelo Hutchinson and JoJo Evans.
The Cardinals also earned the Murray State transfer commitment after he logged the most solo tackles in Division I football last season and the fourth most tackles at the FCS level, but Dylan Rowsey re-entered the Transfer Portal at the last minute. So, now that the Cardinals are searching for another defensive back, they land the Tennessee transfer and former 4-star recruit out of high school.
BREAKING: Tennessee transfer DB Kaleb Beasley has Committed to Louisville, he tells @On3
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 18, 2026
The 6’0 200 DB totaled 24 tackles, 2 PD, and 1 FR in 2025
He’ll have 2 years of eligibility lefthttps://t.co/RlUbB6EMhS pic.twitter.com/ETcGBilnJj
Related: 5 Win-now players Louisville must target after Dylan Rowsey re-enters the portal
Louisville football lands former 4-star with talented Tennessee transfer
Beasley was someone we have been incredibly high on as the former Tennessee Volunteer has tons of upside after his dominant high school career and was one of the best safeties still available. Beasley ranked as a 4-star recruit out of high school and was a top 200 recruit in the 2024 recruiting class, ranking No. 165 overall and No. 18 among cornerbacks.
The newest Cardinal commit received over 34 offers in high school, including from powerhouse programs like Notre Dame, Georgia, Clemson, Michigan, Miami, Penn State, and Louisville. In high school, the 4-star recruit displayed elite ball-hawking skills, logging 93 tackles, 42 pass breakups, 41 interceptions, and six defensive touchdowns.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound Tennessee transfer now is a safety and emerges as a key commit for the Cardinals. He transferred to Louisville after being a valuable piece for Tennessee in 2025. Last year, he played in every game and earned a career-high of 24 tackles, one pass breakup, and one fumble recovery, which he returned for a touchdown.
He played a total of 25 games with the Volunteers and logged a combined 28 tackles and two pass breakups in his two years with Tennessee. He now commits to Louisville, ranked No. 86 among safeties and No. 910 overall. Beasley joins Iowa transfer Koen Entringer and Ole Miss transfer TJ Banks in the safety room as he is the third safety to transfer this offseason.
Related: Who's coming and who's going: Louisville football 2026 Transfer Portal tracker
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