Louisville DE Mason Reiger to Enter Transfer Portal

Reiger is the fourth Cardinal to announce his intention to enter the portal.

Oct 7, 2023; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals defensive lineman Mason Reiger (95) reacts after sacking Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Sam Hartman (10) during the first half at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. / Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Louisville defensive end Mason Reiger plans to enter his name into the transfer portal, he announced Sunday. It is unlikely that he will play in Louisville’s upcoming bowl.

"I came to the University of Louisville as a true freshman walk-on with a dream of playing football and having success at the highest level," Reiger said in a post on Twitter/X. "The last few years I have done that, and I would like to thank every teammate, coach, and staff member that has helped me along the way. In my time here, I have grown a tremendous amount as a player and a person. Thank you to the fans and the city of Louisville for the endless support. I will forever cherish the memories I made here."

Reiger is the second Louisville player to announce his intentions to enter the portal following the end of the regular season, joining offensive lineman Madden Sanker, and the fourth overall. Safety Devin Neal, corner Aaron Williams previously announced that they would enter the portal.

Monday, Dec. 9 will mark the first day of college football’s 30-day winter transfer portal window. Players will then have until Saturday, Dec. 28 to enter the portal under current NCAA guidelines.

The 6-foot-4, 250-pound edge rusher had to miss the entire 2024 season due to complications from offseason knee surgery. Head coach Jeff Brohm had previously expressed optimism during fall camp that Reiger might be able to return to action at some point this year.

"Mason, unfortunately, had offseason knee surgery, and some things didn't go exactly the way he'd wanted. Which caused it to push the return date back farther," Brohm said back in August. "Right now, he is rehabbing and will not be able to practice during fall camp. We'll see what happens during the season, but whether we can get it back or not during the season remains to be seen."

Despite being limited in the first month of the 2023 season, Reiger still finished second on the team in sacks with 5.0. He also collected 22 total tackles, 6.0 for loss, two pass breakups and a forced fumble.

During his time at Louisville, the Hoffman Estates, Ill. native has been an under-the-radar component of the Cardinals' defensive front. In 32 games across three seasons, Reiger has collected 49 tackles, 16.5 for loss, 8.0 sacks and four forced fumbles.

Louisville will learn their bowl draw on Sunday, Dec. 8 following the end of conference championship weekend.

(Photo of Mason Reiger: Jamie Rhodes - Imagn Images)

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