Louisville LB K.J. Cloyd Enters Transfer Portal

The fourth-year linebacker enters the portal as a graduate transfer after playing in all 12 regular season games for the Cardinals.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville linebacker K.J. Cloyd has entered his name into the transfer portal as a graduate transfer, he announced Thursday on social media. He will not play in Louisville’s upcoming bowl.

"I want to thank Coach Satterfield and the entire Louisville staff for the opportunity to play at the University of Louisville," he wrote in a post on Twitter. "I will forever cherish the time here with my teammates and the loving fans, but I have decided to enter the transfer portal as a Graduate Transfer. Much love to the Cardinal nation. #23 out."

While the transfer portal window has yet to open, since Cloyd is entering as a graduate transfer, he can enter at any time he wants. Thanks to NCAA legislation adopted this past August, players can no longer enter the portal any time they want if they are not entering as a graduate transfer. They now have just a 45-day window from Dec. 5 to Jan. 18 to do so, as well as a 15-day window from May 1 to May 15 following spring practices.

Cloyd is the fifth Cardinal to announce his intentions to transfer following the end of the regular season, joining running backs Trevion Cooley and Jalen Mitchell, defensive lineman Caleb Banks and cornerback Derrick Edwards III. He is the sixth to announce during this academic year, following safety Nicario Harper, who announced his intention to transfer back in late October.

The 6-foot-2, 229-pound inside linebacker played in every one of Louisville's 12 games this season, but did not have a consistant role on the defense. Out of the 826 total defensive snaps by the Cardinals in the regular season, Cloyd played in just 140 them, with the games against USF and Wake Forest being the only times he played more than 20 snaps. He finished the year with 15 tackles (nine solo), two quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery.

Cloyd originally joined Louisville in 2020 as a JUCO transfer from Jones College in Ellisville, Miss., where he collected 46 tackles (16 solo), 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble in his lone season at the JUCO level. The Columbia, Miss. native finishes his Cardinals career with 40 tackles, 0.5 tackle for loss, two pass breakups, four quarterback hurries, and one fumble recovery in 36 games and one start against Virginia in 2021.

Louisville will find out their postseason draw on Sunday, Dec. 4 following the conclusion of conference championship weekend. The Cardinals finished the regular season at 7-5, and 4-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

(Photo of K.J. Cloyd: Scott Utterback - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)

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