Madness is happening right now in College Football as the semifinals are set in the College Football Playoffs, but at the same time, the Transfer Portal just opened. Louisville football is expected to be heavily involved, as the Cards must replace their entire starting offense from the 2025 season. There are many positions the Cards want to focus on, but one in particular is the offensive line.
Jeff Brohm was clearly disappointed in the unit up front in the 2025 season, as the O-Line committed way too many penalties and had way too many self-inflicted wounds. So, with the portal now open, one area in dire need is, of course, the offensive line. Louisville will have to replace its starting center, Pete Nygra, who led the group last year but has graduated and declared for the NFL Draft.
So, as Louisville begins replacing its former center and the portal is open, Brohm appears to be making moves quickly. Louisville fans learned that Brohm and the Cardinals are going to a familiar face as they landed a visit with an elite ACC center, Lyndon Cooper.
Related: Who's coming and who's going: Louisville football 2026 Transfer Portal tracker
Louisville football lands massive visit from elite transfer center
247Sports reported that Louisville will earn a visit from Cooper on Jan. 5. Louisville fans immediatley are raising eyebrows, as this would be a perfect fit for the Cards' offense.
Lyndon Cooper has set a visit to Louisville for Jan. 5, a source tells @chris_hummer.
— 247Sports Transfer Portal (@247SportsPortal) January 2, 2026
Multi-year starter for the Panthers. https://t.co/0eIbLgvl5M
The Pitt transfer isn’t just one of the best offensive linemen in the portal, but is one of the best players. Cooper is ranked No. 2 in IOL and No. 53 overall in the Transfer Portal. He is a dominant center who started every game last year for the Panthers and has extensive experience.
He is a redshirt senior after spending three seasons with North Carolina State and two with Pitt. Now, he is quickly one of the top-ranked centers/offensive linemen in the Transfer Portal after his dominant 2025 season.
In 2025, he started in all 13 games and logged 886 snaps, allowing just three sacks, 15 pressures, and 10 penalties. The 6-2, 315-pound center was a Rimington Trophy Watchlist entry entering the 2025 season, and is expected to be once again one of the best centers entering the 2026 season.
This is one Louisville fan is immediatley keeping an eye on as a player with his skill, and experience is exactly what the offense needs, especially if they want to land a quarterback like DJ Lagway or Dylan Raiola.
For all the latest recruiting news and updates for Louisville football, stay tuned.