Louisville football wide receiver Tyler Harrell hitting the transfer portal would deal a major blow to the wide receiver room.
The wide receiver room is going to look completely different for Louisville football in the coming seasons.
UofL was already looking to replace a ton of production in 2022 following the surprising departure of Jordan Watkins after the season. Fellow starter Justin Marshall also made waves by entering the transfer portal.
Last season’s do-it-all weapon Braden Smith was injured in game three and was slated to be a returning starter. However, a run-in with the law in the offseason makes his status for this year questionable at best.
With all three starters gone, that paved a way for 2021 breakout star Tyler Harrell to increase his reps and targets this season.
However, on Monday Matt Zenitz of On3 Sports tweeted that Harrell was set to enter the transfer portal. At this time there is no destination reported for Harrell, but rumors have run rampid over the weekend that the Cards top receiver would be heading to play for Nick Saban at Alabama.
This is a major hit for the Cards, who brought in two impact transfers in the offseason but still expected Harrell to be a key starter.
Harrell looked like what fans had become accustomed to in the Louisville football spring game, where he hauled in a 40-yard over-the-shoulder catch near the south endzone.
Louisville will now turn to the services of rising sophomore Ahmari Huggins-Bruce and transfers Tyler Hudson and Dee Wiggins.
Hudson was especially impressive in the Spring Game, hauling in a TD catch and displaying the athletic ability and route-running of a starting ACC wideout.
Senior Jaelin Carter and sophomore Jatavian Churchill- Who got a lot of reps at second-string running back- were also extremely impressive in the spring. Louisville will soon also add receivers DeVaughn Mortimer, Chance Morrow, and Chris Bell, who were both highly-touted members of the 2022 class.
Still, Cards fans should be concerned about the lack of depth among the wide receiving core. Wiggins was impressive in flashes at Miami. Hudson and Bruce have the tools to be bona fide stars. The departure of a potential All-ACC player is still worrisome.
Look for the Louisville football coaching staff to be diving into the transfer portal this summer for some added depth.
