Louisville lands first transfer commit and steals Kentucky starter in the process

Louisville football just landed its first commitment in the 2026 Transfer Portal, and the Cardinals fans are loving it. The Cardinals just landed former Kentucky’s starting defensive back, DJ Waller, as the Kentucky transfer just announced his commitment to Jeff Brohm and the Louisville Cardinals.

Louisville fans have been waiting for that first commitment to happen as the Cards have been heavily involved early on, and to see Brohm swipe a former starter from their in-state rival makes it just that much sweeter.

Related: Who's coming and who's going: Louisville football 2026 Transfer Portal tracker

Louisville lands Kentucky transfer and former National Champion

Waller is currently a 3-star transfer and is ranked as high as No. 480 in the Transfer Portal and the No. 50 cornerback in the portal. He played just two games for the Wildcats last season due to injury, but the now newest Cardinal is reportedly completely healthy. With Louisville losing multiple key pieces in its secondary, including Corey Gordon Jr., who entered the transfer portal yesterday, Waller is a crucial splash for the Cardinals' defense.

The Cardinals have had the Wildcats' number over the past couple of years, dominating the Governor’s Cup with a combined score of 82-14. Now, to make the rivalry even better, Louisville just landed a former Wildcat, who was a key piece for their secondary before getting injured.

Waller brings tremendous experience, having been a former Michigan commit and going on to win the 2023 National Championship with the Wolverines. He was ranked No. 708 in the 2023 recruiting class and went on to earn 11 total tackles and one pass breakup with Michigan during its National Championship season.

The 6-foot-3, 203-pound corner then entered the portal and played nine games for the Cats across two seasons, during which he was the starter for six of those games. In the 2024 season, he started in four of the seven games he played in and logged 13 tackles and two pass deflections. In his final season with Kentucky, he played in the season opener against Toledo and the final game against Louisville, starting in both and logging one tackle and one pass breakup.

For all the latest recruiting news and updates for Louisville football, stay tuned.