Louisville TE Jamari Johnson Out for Remainder of 2024 Season

The tight end suffered an ankle injury in the Cardinals' loss to Miami.

Louisville Cardinals tight end Jamari Johnson (11) celebrates his play during their game against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024 at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium in Louisville, Ky. / Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Another significant injury has struck the Louisville football program.

Tight end Jamari Johnson with be out for the remainder of the season after suffering an ankle injury this past weekend vs. Miami, head coach Jeff Brohm announced Monday.

Johnson suffered the injury on the Cardinals' final drive of the second quarter, when Canes safety Jaden Harris hip drop tackled him with 51 seconds until halftime. Johnson finished the game with two catches for 18 yards, while Louisville fell 52-45 for their third loss in four games.

The 6-foot-5, 265-pound tight end was in the middle of a breakout season after redshirting his true freshman season. While he had come off the bench in all seven of Louisville's games up to this point in the season, his 158 receiving yards is fourth on the team, while his 13 receptions is fifth.

"The development has been impressive from Jamari," tight ends coach Ryan Wallace said of Johnson during spring ball. "He's matured a lot. He's figured out how to practice, he understands how the effort he's got to put into it, and he he takes it serious every day. He's showing improvement and happy with where he's at."

Johnson joined Louisville as part of their 2023 high school recruiting class, and was one of the top prospects to sign with the Cardinals in that cycle. He ranked as high as the No. 190 prospect in the Class of 2023, per 247Sports' in-house rankings, and came in as the 338th-ranked prospect in the 247Sports Composite.

Fortunately, Louisville still has another prolific pass-catching tight end at their disposal even with Johnson now out. San Diego State transfer Mark Redman has 11 catches for 139 yards, with his three touchdown receptions second on the team to Ja'Corey Brooks' eight.

(Photo of Jamari Johnson: Clare Grant - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)

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