The Transfer Portal is approaching quickly, with the window opening in one month after moving from December to January this offseason. Last year, the portal opened on December 9, and college football saw a historic number of players enter it. Now, the portal date has moved this offseason to January 2, where it will open after the College Football Playoffs quarterfinals.
Even though the portal doesn't open for another month, teams are already learning from players who are entering it and staying. With the regular season concluding, many players are announcing on social media whether they are entering the Transfer Portal, and last night, Louisville football fans learned who their first player will be.
Louisville football loses first player to the Transfer Portal
Last year, Louisville earned 29 commitments from the Transfer Portal while losing 24 players. The Cards' first player to enter the portal is Daeh McCullough, a redshirt sophomore who transferred to the Cardinals in 2023 from Oklahoma.
I will be entering the NCAA Transfer Portal with 2 years of eligibility remaining.
— Daeh mccullough (@daeh2023) December 2, 2025
I look forward to being given a chance to compete and having a positive experience on and off the field! pic.twitter.com/wSp5KilogU
Out of high school, McCullough was a highly ranked recruit, a unanimous 4-star safety ranked as high as No. 299 in the nation and a top 40 safety in his recruiting class. He was recruited by big-time programs like Indiana, Penn State, Florida, Michigan, and more, but committed to the Sooners for just one season before transferring to Louisville.
Now, he hits the portal again after spending two seasons with the Cardinals, where he didn't see much action on the defensive side. He earned a decent amount of reps on special teams as he played in eight games this season, while earning only 21 snaps on defense against Eastern Kentucky, where he secured one tackle.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound safety is just the first Cardinal to enter the portal, as fans are expecting many more to follow McCullough. Louisville finished the regular season 8-4 for the second straight season, and with eyes on the ACC Title, they must get some key offensive linemen and defensive backs in the portal.
The next month will be a busy time for Louisville football, so for all the latest Transfer Portal news and updates for Louisville football, stay tuned.