Louisville football had another massive recruiting day yesterday, as the Cardinals didn’t land any transfers, but the two they did get will likely have an immediate impact. Louisville first learned that it beat Texas, Georgia, and Kansas State to land the elite 4-star transfer Tre Richardson.
The Vandy transfer is coming off a massive season with Diego Pavia and the Commodores, as he led Vanderbilt with 806 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns in 2025. Louisville got a huge boost in its wide receiver room with the addition of Richardson, but also got a huge boost in its secondary with the addition of Santana Wilson.
The Texas transfer committed to Louisville after it was reported that Texas A&M, Kansas State, and Arizona State were among the favorites for the former 4-star. So, with Louisville losing multiple starters in the secondary, Wilson is a massive splash for the Cardinals, and in his commitment announcement, he sent a fiery message to Louisville fans that they are going to absolutely love.
Louisville football's newest DB commit sends fiery message that fans will love
Wilson was the second and last commitment of the day for the Cardinals, giving Jeff Brohm and his defense much-needed depth in its secondary. The Cardinals are losing key players from 2025 in D’Angelo Hutchinson, Jabari Mack, Corey Gordon Jr., Rodney Johnson Jr., and JoJo Evans. The Cardinals will try to rebuild their secondary yet again, and adding a player like Wilson was exactly what they needed.
Wilson is a former 4-star recruit out of high school and was ranked as high as No. 140 overall and the No. 26-ranked cornerback in the 2024 recruiting class. The former 4-star recruit committed to Texas over big-time Power Four teams like Miami, Oregon, Tennessee, and others. The newest Cardinal has high expectations coming to Louisville, and he is off to a great start, already winning over fans with his fiery message.
“I’m not coming to compete, I’m coming to take over. Louisville I’m home," Wilson stated in his commitment announcement.
BREAKING: Texas transfer DB Santana Wilson has Committed to Louisville, he tells @On3Sports
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 9, 2026
The 6’1 180 DB will have 3 years of eligibility remaining
“I’m not coming to compete, I’m coming to take over. Louisville I’m home.”https://t.co/RlUbB6EMhS pic.twitter.com/ihWTQA00cc
The newest Cardinal didn’t spend much time with Texas, playing in just two games this past season and recording one tackle against Sam Houston State. He commits to Louisville with three years of eligibility remaining after redshirting his freshman season, which should make him a long-term cornerback on this Cardinals defense.
The 6-foot-0, 175-pound cornerback is just the second defensive back to commit to Louisville, as the first commitment from the portal was Kentucky transfer DJ Waller. Louisville will likely continue recruiting defensive backs in the final week, as the Cardinals lost four starters from the 2025 season.
Related: Every Transfer Portal player who committed to Louisville football in the first week
For all the latest recruiting news and updates for Louisville football, stay tuned.