The Transfer Portal has officially been open for over 24 hours, and Louisville football has already been heavily active. Jeff Brohm and Vince Marrow have already secured multiple visits, with the latest two coming from Kentucky transfers.
It was reported late last night that Louisville received a visit from two former 4-star Wildcats commitments, brothers Jerod and Jacob Smith. The former Wildcats are Kentucky natives who were heavily recruited by elite programs but eventually chose to commit to Kentucky. Now that they both entered the portal, Louisville quickly earned visits from the two Kentucky natives and is suddenly making moves to land commitments from these two defensive players.
Related: Who's coming and who's going: Louisville football 2026 Transfer Portal tracker
Louisville football hosts two former Kentucky 4-star commitments
It is clear through the first hours of the portal that Brohm is heavily favoring the trenches. Cardinals fans wanted Brohm to go get some key offensive and defensive linemen, and earning visits from Jerod and Jacob Smith is huge.
Kentucky transfers Jerod & Jacob Smith visited Louisville today, sources tell @jdemling and me.
— Chris Hummer (@chris_hummer) January 3, 2026
Both brothers were four-star recruits in the 2024 class.
Jerod has posted 27 tackles, 5 TFLs and a sack this year.
Jacob has appeared in 7 career games.https://t.co/yBcX5BFllG pic.twitter.com/0r1fIurMlI
Both brothers were in the 2024 recruiting class; Jerod ranked as high as No. 89, No. 9 edge rusher, and was the best recruit out of Kentucky. As for his brother Jacob, he ranked as high as No. 97 in the recruiting class, No. 18 edge rusher, and was the No. 2 recruit out of Kentucky. Both recruits were ranked as high as 4-star recruits and received over 27 offers, including from Alabama, Georgia, Notre Dame, Michigan, Louisville, and others.
Now, as the two enter the Transfer Portal after two seasons with the Wildcats, Marrow is looking to bring two of his former Kentucky commitments to Louisville. Jerod is ranked as high as No. 310 in the portal and is the 25th best defensive lineman, while Jacob ranks No. 311 and the 37th best edge rusher.
While Jacob hasn’t seen much time, Jerod was a key defender for the Cats in 2025. The 6-foot-4, 275-pound defensive linemen earned 27 tackles, five tackles for a loss, a force fumble, and a sack this year. The twin brothers would be a massive splash from Marrow and Brohm, and earning a visit on day one of the portal is a huge sign that Louisville is right there in the mix.
With Marrow being the key recruiter who helped flip the twin brothers from Michigan to Kentucky, Louisville fans are feeling good early on about trying to flip these brothers from Kentucky to Louisville.
For all the latest recruiting news and updates for Louisville football, stay tuned.