Jeff Brohm’s Transfer Portal surge has Louisville firmly on the national radar

Louisville football went on to have a huge run in the Transfer Portal, securing 30 commitments this offseason. Jeff Brohm was tasked with a tall challenge of rebuilding this Cardinals team after Louisville lost its starting quarterback, top two wide receivers, the majority of its starting offensive line, top two defensive tackles, and four of its top five defensive backs.

The Cardinals had a lot of work to do and not a lot of time as players were committing immediatley once Jan. 2 approached. The result exceeded many fans' expectations, and the Cardinals have earned the respect they deserve, ranking as high as No. 5 in the On3 Sports 2026 College Football Team Transfer Portal Rankings.

Well, On3 Sports recently released their biggest winners from the 2026 Transfer Portal, and while the Cardinals weren’t in the top 10, they did make their honorable mentions and appear to be ranked No. 13 on their biggest winners big board.

Related: 10 biggest Transfer Portal commitments for Louisville football this offseason

Jeff Brohm and Louisville football's offseason earns respect from On3 Sports

Louisville missing out on the top 10 is a bit of a surprise, since they are ranked No. 5 in their portal rankings, but the Cards earning honorable mentions is a nice honor. The Cardinals added five 4-stars and 26 3-stars according to On3 Sports' transfer rankings, putting them on the outside looking in for the top ten.

On3 Sports top 10 biggest Transfer Portal winners in order was, LSU, Indiana, Texas Tech, Miami, Texas, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Penn State, Oklahoma State, and Virginia Tech.

However, Louisville fans should be stoked for the roster that Brohm has built. He brought in an elite former 4-star recruit to develop at quarterback in Lincoln Kienholz and was able to get him elite weapons on the outside with two 4-star transfers in Lawayne McCoy and their top-ranked transfer, Tre Richardson.

As for the offensive line, he brought in guys with elite experience, including former Boston College starter Eryx Daugherty and former South Carolina starter Cason Henry. The Cardinals were also able to recruit from within on offense, keeping Isaac Brown, who was ranked as the No. 1 running back in the Transfer Portal when he announced he was entering the portal. Joining Brown are star running back Keyjuan Brown and 4-star transfer Marquise Davis.

Louisville football's way-too-early 2026 offensive depth chart projection

As for the defensive side, Louisville added a lot of depth at the edge position as the Cardinals landed former 4-star recruits Jerod Smith II and Tyler Thompson. Louisville added interior presence with Demeco Kennedy, Joshua Donald, and Tommy Ziesmer to replace Jordan Guerad and Rene Konga. And in the secondary, the Cardinals got their biggest splash on defense with elite safety transfer Koen Entringer.

Louisville also recruited from within on defense, as it returns key edge rushers AJ Green and Clev Lubing and gets a huge boost in its linebacker room with Stanquan Clark, Antonio Watts, and TJ Capers returning.

Louisville football's way-too-early 2026 defensive depth chart projection

So, Louisville probably deserved a spot in the top 10 over, say, Virginia Tech, but the moral of the story is this: the Cardinals have speed, physicality, talent, and depth. Brohm has a roster that can compete for the ACC Title, and Louisville being ranked as high as No. 14 in ESPN’s way-too-early rankings proves that.