Who's In, Who's Out and Who's Back for Louisville Football in 2025

Taking a look at the roster turnover between the 2024 and 2025 seasons for the Cardinals.

Sep 6, 2021; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Detailed view of a Louisville Cardinals helmet on the field before a game against the Mississippi Rebels at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Ever since the 2024 season ended for the Louisville football program, it has been a whirlwind of roster upheaval. Between players declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft, transfers coming in and out, as well as new recruits joining the fold, at times it has been hard to track which scholarship players are joining, leaving and staying for another year.

Now the dust is beginning to settle a bit, and we are starting to have some idea as to what Louisville's roster will look like for the 2025 season. As of the most recent update, the Cardinals are currently at 78 scholarship players - 7 under the traditional NCAA allotted maximum of 85. However, the scholarship cap was lifted to 105 as part of the House vs. NCAA settlement.

As we progress through another long college football offseason, take a look below on who's in, who's out, and who's back for the Cardinals for the 2025 season:

*Each player's class is noted by their 2025 class.*

*This list will be updated if/when additional roster moves are made. Last updated: Jan. 7, 2025 - 4:23 p.m. EST*

Quarterbacks

Who's In (2): Mason Mims (Fr.), Miller Moss (R-Sr., Transfer - USC)
Who's Out (3): Harrison Bailey (Transfer - TBD), Pierce Clarkson (Transfer - TBD), Tyler Shough (Graduation)
Who's Back (2): Brady Allen (R-Jr.), Deuce Adams (R-Fr.)
On Roster: 4

Summary: The quarterback room is going to look a little different next season. Not only is Shough's collegiate career now over, Bailey - the backup for the last two seasons - hit the portal after a Sun Bowl MVP performance. That being said, landing Moss was a tremendous recruiting victory, as he has the intangibles and experience to thrive in a Jeff Brohm offense. The battle for the backup spot will be an intriguing one, and spring ball will be incredibly important in determining if Adams, Allen or Mims is the future after 2025.

Running Backs

Who's In (1): Jamarice Wilder (Fr.)
Who's Out (3): Keyjuan Brown (Transfer - Boise State), Donald Chaney Jr. (Transfer - TBD), Maurice Turner (Transfer - Tulane)
Who's Back (2): Isaac Brown (So.), Duke Watson (So.)
On Roster: 3

Summary: The running back spot turned out to be much, much stronger than anticipated as the season progressed. Brown is a superstar in the making after breaking Lamar Jackson's true freshman rushing record, and Watson is just as explosive - if not more. But as good as this duo is, Louisville will likely need to add another running back out of the portal for depth purposes.

Wide Receivers

Who's In (3): Brock Coffman (Fr.), T.J. McWilliams (R-So., Transfer - Minnesota), Kamare Williams (Fr.)
Who's Out (5): Ja'Corey Brooks (NFL Draft), Jimmy Calloway (Transfer - Tulane), Cataurus Hicks (Transfer - TBD), Jahlil McClain (Transfer - TBD), Jadon Thompson (Transfer - TBD)
Who's Back (5): Caullin Lacy (R-Sr.), Chris Bell (Sr.), Antonio Meeks (R-Jr.), Shaun Boykins Jr. (R-Fr.), JoJo Stone (R-Fr.)
On Roster: 9

Summary: After being a little stagnant in 2023, the passing game took a massive step forward in 2024, partly because of much better receiver play. While Brooks was a big reason for this, Lacy showed in the Sun Bowl why he is one of the better receivers in college football, and Bell turned into a very reliable and consistent option over the season. There are some questions behind that one-two punch, but at the minimum, Louisville has one of the better receiver tandems in the ACC.

Tight Ends

Who's In (1): Grant Houser (Fr.)
Who's Out (4): Izayah Cummings (Graduation), Jamari Johnson (Transfer - Oregon), Duane Martin (Graduation), Mark Redman (Graduation),
Who's Back (3): Nate Kurisky (R-Jr.), Jaleel Skinner (R-Jr.), Dylan Mesman (R-Fr.)
On Roster: 4

Summary: The tight end spot was a little bit under-utilized in 2024, but it was still a much bigger factor than it was in 2023. It's also going to look a lot different in 2025, as Redman was Louisville's third-leading receiver, Johnson was pushing for TE1 before his injury, and Martin was a valuable asset at fullback. While Kurisky might be one of the most underrated players on the team and Skinner does have potential, it could be in line to take a step back barring a portal addition.

Offensive Line

Who's In (7): Gradey Anthony (Fr.), Jordan Church (R-So., Transfer - FAU), Tyler Folmar (Fr.), Carter Guillaume (So., Transfer - SEMO) Naeer Jackson (R-Jr., Transfer - FIU), Mahamane Moussa (R-Sr., Transfer - Purdue), Makylan Pounders (R-Sr., Transfer - Mississippi State)
Who's Out (5): Joe Crocker (Transfer - Baylor), Michael Gonzalez (Graduation), Jonathan Mendoza (Graduation), Monroe Mills (Transfer - TBD), Madden Sanker (Transfer - FAU)
Who's Back (11): Renato Brown (R-Sr.), Austin Collins (R-Sr.), Victor Cutler (R-Sr.), Rasheed Miller, (R-Sr.) Pete Nygra (R-Sr.), Lance Robinson (R-Sr.), Trevonte Sylvester (R-Sr.), Makhete Gueye (R-Jr.), Fred Johnson (R-Fr.), Ransom McDermott (R-Fr.), Jimmy Williams III (R-Fr.)
On Roster: 18

Summary: The offensive line could very well be the strongest position group on the entire roster for Louisville next season. For starters, the line was excellent this season, and you have five of the eight players with triple digit blocking snaps - Brown, Collins, Nygra, Miller and Sylvester - coming back. On top of that, the portal additions of Church, Guillaume, Jackson, Moussa and Pounders will only make this unit that much stronger. Louisville could head into the 2025 season with the best offense line in the ACC, and one of the best in all of college football.

Interior Defensive Line

Who's In (4): Bailey Abercrombie (Fr.), Jerry Lawson (Jr., Transfer - Abilene Christian), Denzel Lowry (R-Sr., Transfer - Old Dominion), Dillon Smith (Fr.)
Who's Out (3): Jared Dawson (Transfer - TBD), Thor Griffith (Graduation), Dezmond Tell (Graduation)
Who's Back (5): Jordan Guerad (R-Sr.) Rene Konga (R-Sr.), Selah Brown (R-Jr.), Saadiq Clements (R-So.), William Spencer (R-So.)
On Roster: 9

Summary: Play in the middle of the defensive line was up-and-down at times, but overall, Louisville got solid production out of the defensive tackle spots. Losing longtime anchors Tell and Dawson certainly stings, but Konga was a much better asset than expected, and Guerad ended the year strong once he was healthy. It remains to be see how Lawson and Lowry handle the jump in competition, and if guys like Brown, Clements and Spencer can take the next step, but the interior of the line for the Cardinals has potential to be fairly disruptive.

Defensive End

Who's In (5): Wesley Bailey (R-Sr., Transfer - Rutgers), Demon Clowney (R-Sr., Transfer - Charlotte), Eric Hazzard (Fr.), Clev Lubin (R-Jr., Transfer - Coastal Carolina), C.J. May (Fr.)
Who's Out (6): Ashton Gillotte (Graduation), Myles Jernigan (Graduation), Richard Kinley II (Graduation), Tramel Logan (Graduation), Ramon Puryear (Graduation), Mason Reiger (Transfer - Wisconsin)
Who's Back (4): Adonijah Green (R-So.), Micah Carter (R-So.), Maurice Davis (So.), Xavier Porter (R-Fr.)
On Roster: 9

Summary: Louisville is losing a lot of production on the edges. All-American Gillotte is moving on, as is Puryear - who set the program record for games played. Not to mention that guys like Logan, Jernigan and Kinley were key reserves. That being said, defensive end still has the potential to be deadly in 2025. Lubin was one of the best edge rushers in the portal, Bailey and Clowney were productive starters, plus May was one of the top-rated high school prospects in the cycle. Not to mention Green has NFL potential. It'll all have to come together in the offseason, but edge rusher could be a strength of the defense next season.

Linebackers

Who's In (4): Caleb Matelau (Fr.), Kalib Perry (Sr., Transfer - Tennessee), Darius Thomas (R-Jr., Transfer - WKU), Cameron White (Fr.)
Who's Out (3): Jurriente Davis (Transfer - TBD), Dan Foster Jr. (Graduation), Benjamin Perry (Transfer - UCLA)
Who's Back (5): T.J. Quinn (R-Sr.), Antonio Watts (Sr.), Stanquan Clark (Jr.), T.J. Capers (R-So.), Trent Carter (R-Fr.)
On Roster: 9

Summary: When talking about what will be a strength next season for Louisville, linebacker is likely going to be that. Quinn and Clark, the Cardinals' two leading tacklers, are back for 2025 - and the latter has a case for best player on the entire defense. Watts also has a breakout year at STAR in his first season as a starter, Thomas was an impact playmaker at WKU, Perry was a rotational fixture at UT, plus Capers and Carter showed flashes when they did see the field. This unit will collectively have to improve their efforts in coverage, but they played a big role in Louisville's ability to stop the run.

Cornerbacks

Who's In (4): Justin Agu (R-Sr., Transfer - Louisiana), Antonio Harris (Fr.), Rodney Johnson Jr. (R-Sr., Transfer - Southern), Jabari Mack (Sr., Transfer - Jax State)
Who's Out (4): Tahveon Nicholson (Graduation), Quincy Riley (Graduation), Corey Thornton (Graduation), Aaron Williams (Transfer - UCLA)
Who's Back (3): Tayon Holloway (R-Jr.), Jathan Hatch (R-Fr.), Rae'mon Mosby (R-Fr.)
On Roster: 7

Summary: No area of the defense for Louisville has more question marks than cornerback. Four of your five top corners on the roster will not be here in 2025, while the future of the fifth, Holloway, is in question given his ongoing assault case. The Cardinals' three portal additions all have potential, but are also having to make jumps to the ACC from either the G5 or FCS. Mosby looked solid in the Sun Bowl, but that was his only real playing time in 2024. It wouldn't be shocking to see this position be the one that Louisville focuses on the most moving forward.

Safeties

Who's In (3): JoJo Evans (R-Sr., Transfer - FIU), Corey Gordon Jr. (R-Jr., Transfer - Baylor), Micah Rice (Fr.)
Who's Out (3): M.J. Griffin (Graduation), Tamarion McDonald (Graduation), Devin Neal (Transfer - Virginia)
Who's Back (3): Blake Ruffin (R-Sr.), D'Angelo Hutchinson (Sr.), Daeh McCullough (R-So.)
On Roster: 6

Summary: Louisville does lose two starters on the back end in Griffin and McDonald, and they do likely need to add some here through the portal, but they're actually in a good spot at safety. Evans and Gordon were top flight portal safeties, and Hutchinson had an impressive breakout campaign for UofL in 2024. If they can get either Ruffin or McCullough to step forward, or add another impact playmaker (or two) in the portal, the Cardinals will be very well off here at safety.

Special Teams

Who's In (0): N/A
Who's Out (1): PK Brock Travelstead (Graduation)
Who's Back (1): LS Shai Kochav (R-Sr.)
On Roster: 1

Summary: Travelstead was able to end his collegiate career on a high note, but Louisville isn't left high and dry at kicker. In fact, they'll likely have an intense battle between three walk-ons: Nick Keller, Cooper Ranvier and incoming freshman Carson Hilbert. As far as punting goes, Carter Schwartz was named special team MVP of the Sun Bowl, so it's a safe bet that he'll be the punter in 2025.

(Photo of Helmet: Brett Davis - Imagn Images)

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