Louisville QB Malik Cunningham Declares for 2023 NFL Draft, Opts Out of Fenway Bowl

Cunningham departs the Cardinals as their all-time leader in touchdowns responsible for.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville redshirt senior quarterback Malik Cunningham has declared for the 2023 NFL Draft, and has opted out of the Cardinals' upcoming Fenway Bowl vs. Cincinnati, he announced Friday on social media.

"I would like to first thank God for all the blessings and opportunities that I have encountered throughout my life," he said in a graphic posted to Twitter and Instagram. "Thank you for allowing me the ability to play the game of football.

"I would also like to give thanks to my family and friends for your love and support. I would like to thank the academic staff for your support all the way through graduation and beyond. Thanks to the coaching staff for pushing me on and off the field to be the best I could be, To my brothers, thank you for relationship that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Lastly, to Card Nation, thank you for supporting me through my journey with football. Louisville first, Cardinal forever. L1C4."

Cunningham is the second Cardinal to declare for the 2023 NFL Draft and opt out of the Fenway Bowl, following running back Tiyon Evans.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound signal caller had a bit of a down 2022 campaign by his standards, partially assisted by injuries. Playing in 10 games this season with nine starts, Cunningham completed 62.4 percent of his passes for 1,568 yards and eight touchdowns to five interceptions. The dual threat QB also rushed for 565 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Still, it was enough for him to re-write the Louisville record books. The Montgomery, Ala. native finishes his Cardinals career with 120 touchdowns responsible for, good for the most in Louisville history. His 12,848 career yards ranks second to Lamar Jackson, and his 50 career rushing touchdowns are also tied with the former Heisman Trophy winner.

His 3,184 rushing yards rank third in school history behind Jackson and Walter Peacock, his 9,664 career passing yards rank fourth and his 70 career passing touchdowns rank fifth.

Cunningham's best season came in 2021. That year, he finished the year fifth in the ACC in rushing yards with 1,031, and fourth nationally in rushing touchdowns with 20. Not to mention that was on top of a 62.0 percent completion rate for 2,941 yards and 19 touchdowns through the air to only six interceptions. His 305.5 yards per game was good for fifth in the ACC and 14th nationally.

The Cardinals finished the regular season at 7-5, and 4-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Louisville, ironically, will face Cincinnati in the Fenway Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 11:00 a.m. EST.

(Photo of Malik Cunningham: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)

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