The Louisville Cardinals recently received their first commitment from the spring transfer portal. Dacari Collins, a former 4-star phenom out of high school, committed to Jeff Brohm and the Cardinals football program early Saturday morning.
Louisville desperately needed a WR3 to play with Caullin Lacy and Chris Bell, and Collins is the perfect fit. He has excellent size at 6 foot-4 and 215 pounds and is an elite catcher in the red zone. Collins will transfer from North Carolina State and will help elevate this offense to that elite level.
However, moments after the Cardinals landed Collins's commitment, Louisville quickly learned that they had unfortunately lost in a recruiting battle with an SEC program for an elite wide receiver.
Louisville football loses big-time transfer portal WR to Missouri
The Louisville Cardinals reportedly were in contact with the elite receiver Xavier Loyd out of Illinois State. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound receiver was an under-the-radar target in the portal that Brohm and his staff reached out to earlier this week.
However, just minutes after the Cardinals landed Collins, Pete Nakos reported that the Illinois State transfer had officially committed to the Missouri Tigers.
Illinois State WR Xavier Loyd has signed with Missouri, @On3sports has learned.
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) April 19, 2025
Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Louisville were also in mix. Posted 66 receptions for 912 yards and six touchdowns in 2024.https://t.co/wMrfFrcNOy pic.twitter.com/iEWNJW7ZD2
The explosive wide receiver initially committed to Kansas State out of high school before transferring to Illinois State, where he had his breakout season last year, earning a spot on the MVFC All-Newcomer Team and All-MVFC honorable mention honors. Loyd brought in 66 receptions last season and earned 912 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns.
Related: 2025 Spring Transfer Portal Tracker for the Louisville Football Program
It is no surprise that the Cardinals did not land Loyd, as after they landed Collins, it is clear the Cardinals' WR3 will be the North Carolina State transfer. Louisville football will look to keep targeting the wide receivers in the transfer portal, as the wide receiver room is still thin.
The Cardinals' wideouts will be led by Chris Bell, Caullin Lacy, Dacari Collins, and Antonio Meeks. While Loyd would have been a great addition to this room, this was expected after the news of Collins.
For all the latest on Louisville football's offseason, stay tuned.