Louisville football fans learn another quarterback is set to hit the Transfer Portal. The Cardinals learned earlier in the month that Brady Allen was the first to enter the portal. Then, earlier this week, Deuce Adams entered the portal, and now Mason Mims has decided to exit as well. Louisville’s quarterback room now only has incoming freshman Briggs Cherry.
The Cardinals lost three quarterbacks to the transfer portal and also lost Miller Moss after he ran out of eligibility. While Mims didn’t see much playing time, his departure still impacts the team's depth. Mims was a 3-star commit from the 2025 class, where he ranked as high as No. 728 in the class and No. 37 quarterback. He redshirted after his freshman season and will have four years of eligibility.
He was the No. 2 QB out of Alabama and committed to Louisville over Pitt, West Virginia, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, and others. He completed 71 percent of his passes in high school, threw for 8,405 yards and 89 touchdowns, and threw just 11 interceptions.
Louisville freshman QB Mason Mims is entering the transfer portal, his agent @david_benzaken tells me and @chris_hummer.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 1, 2026
Ranked as the second-best QB prospect from Alabama in the 2025 recruiting class. Accounted for career high school passing totals of 8,405 yards and 89 TDs. pic.twitter.com/a4M9gVzkLh
Louisville looking for star QB from Transfer Portal
While losing Mims doesn't come as a complete surprise, it does severely impact this team's QB depth chart. With the Cardinals down to just their 4-star commit, Briggs Cherry, Louisville will once again look to the portal for their starting quarterback. While this was already made clear after Adams entered the portal, the Cards' depth is taking a huge hit this winter.
Louisville, as of now, has one QB in its quarterback room, and will now need to get at least two quarterbacks from the portal to have some depth. Louisville is in contact with three elite portal players, Josh Hoover, DJ Lagway, and Dylan Raiola. The fans seem to be all-in on Hoover as he has the most experience and has proven himself over the last two seasons.
Hoover, Lagway and Raiola will all make millions in their next NIL deal with whoever they sign with, which means if Louisville wants a star QB like those three they will have to be ready to match high prices. Jeff Brohm has been one of the best quarterback developers in the nation, and since he arrived at Louisville, he has earned the nickname the quarterback whisperer.
He has gone the portal route every year for his starting quarterback, and it appears for 2026, he is trying to get Louisville's biggest star since he arrived. There have been reports that Louisville is expected to have a bit more NIL money this offseason to spend, and if they want a player like Hoover, Lagway, or Raiola, they will need every dollar they can get.
The Transfer Portal will open up tomorrow, Jan. 2 and will remain open for 14 days. This is the only portal window this season as they got rid of the spring window.
For all the latest recruiting news and updates for Louisville football, stay tuned.