Jeff Brohm does it again. The Cardinals are creating one of the best defensive lines in the ACC, as the latest Louisville football transfer commit was one of the best edge rushers in the conference. Louisville football landed its 17th commitment of the offseason as it landed North Carolina transfer Tyler Thompson.
Louisville has made it clear it wants to focus heavily on the trenches, as Thompson is the fifth defensive lineman to commit to the Cardinals. Brohm added two former 4-stars in Jerod and Jacob Smith, while also landing a Miami transfer, Daylen Russell, and Purdue tackle Demeco Kennedy.
The Cardinals have had a massive week as Louisville landed eight commitments Tuesday, one on Wednesday, and four on Thursday. Thompson was the last of the group to commit on Thursday, as Louisville added two Kentucky wide receiver transfers, Montavin Quisenberry and Hardley Gilmore, and former Louisville linebacker Benjamin Perry earlier in the day.
Related:Who's coming and who's going: Louisville football 2026 Transfer Portal tracker
Louisville football's defensive line gets massive boost from latest commitment
The Cardinals have had a monster of an offseason with the defensive line so far. Louisville has not only added five defensive linemen from the portal, but has also kept its two biggest stars on defense in Clev Lubin and AJ Green. Now joining this line is the elite North Carolina transfer and one of the best edge rushers from the 2025 season.
BREAKING: North Carolina transfer EDGE Tyler Thompson has Committed to Louisville, his agent tells @On3Sports
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 8, 2026
The 6’4 245 EDGE totaled 26 tackles, 7 sacks, 8 TFL, & 2 FF in 2025
Earned an 85.0 PFF Grade (highest on team) & was 4th in the ACC in sackshttps://t.co/RlUbB6EMhS pic.twitter.com/6N384tsj28
Thompson has logged a total of 34 tackles in his first three seasons, but the sophomore edge rusher earned most of his reps this past season. The North Carolina transfer earned 26 tackles last season, seven sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and one pass deflection. After his dominant season, Thompson entered the portal, and now he will join Lubin and Green and add a massive boost to this dominant defensive line.
Thompson commits to Louisville as the No. 146 transfer in the portal and the No. 16-ranked edge rusher. Louisville now has three of the top 10 defensive linemen in the ACC from last season, as Lubin logged the second most sacks with 8.5, Thompson’s 7.0 sacks ranked fourth, and Green’s 4.0 sacks ranked No. 10.
The Cardinals are recruiting from within while adding key transfers like Thompson and the Smith brothers from Kentucky immediatley has this group as one of the best and deepest defensive lines in the ACC.
Related: 5 win-now players who could commit to Louisville after massive recruiting surge
For all the latest recruiting news and updates for Louisville football, stay tuned.