Report: Louisville OL Monroe Mills to Enter Transfer Portal

Mills was one of the best linemen in the FBS this season.

Louisville offensive tackle Monroe Mills / Caleb Jones - University of Louisville Athletics

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - While the Louisville football program has done a lot to bolster their offensive line via the transfer portal, they're also set to lose one of their best lineman because of it.

Offensive tackle Monroe Mills has "filed paperwork to enter the transfer portal," according to On3's Pete Nakos. While the winter transfer portal window for Louisville closed on the Monday, that deadline is only to file the paperwork and not officially enter, which subsequently can take time to process.

Despite battling through a lower body injury throughout most of the season, the 6-foot-7, 315-pound tackle was arguably Louisville's best offensive lineman this season. Starting the first five games of the year at left tackle and then the final five at right tackle, Mills gave up only one sack and seven total pressures in 318 pass block snaps and 566 blocking snaps overall.

Advanced stats also show how good Mills was this season. With a Pro Football Focus offensive grade of 81.6, he was Louisville's top-graded offensive lineman, the second-best in the ACC (min. 500 blocking snaps), and the 12th-best lineman at the power conference level (min. 500 blocking snaps).

The Columbia, Mo. native spent the first two years of his career at Oklahoma State, and then a pair of seasons at Texas Tech before joining Louisville. In 1,364 career pass block snaps and 2,335 total blocking snaps, he has allowed just four sacks and 47 total pressures.

Mills the second Louisville player of the day to hit the portal, joining wide receiver Cataurus Hicks, the fourth following the Sun Bowl, and the 19th in the cycle overall. Conversely, the Cardinals have also landed 19 transfer commitments in this cycle.

Related: Louisville Football 2024-25 Transfer Tracker

Louisville finished the 2024 season, their second under head coach Jeff Brohm, with a 9-4 overall record including a 35-34 win over Washington in the Sun Bowl. The Cardinals have posted back-to-back seasons of nine-plus wins for the first time in a decade.

(Photo of Monroe Mills: Caleb Jones - University of Louisville Athletics)

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