Louisville’s secondary took a hit this week when D’Angelo Hutchinson, who had just signaled earlier this month that he planned to return for his fifth year, instead entered the Transfer Portal and landed with a rival.
On3 Sports’ Pete Nakos reported that Hutchinson entered the portal under the “five-for-five” rule, and the move quickly shifted from a welcome surprise for Louisville to a frustrating departure. Instead of suiting up for the Cardinals, Hutchinson is now headed to Cincinnati.
Hutchinson’s exit matters because he was one of Louisville’s most productive defenders last season. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound safety finished with 84 tackles, second on the team behind linebacker TJ Quinn. He also posted five pass breakups, 2.5 tackles for loss, and an interception, giving Louisville a proven veteran presence in the back end.
The timing is especially notable because Louisville had reason to think it had solved part of its secondary depth earlier in the offseason. Still, Brohm and his staff rebuilt that group in the spring, and the Cardinals had already added a handful of new pieces through the portal.
The biggest addition came with Iowa transfer Koen Entringer, who committed to Louisville while ranked No. 129 overall and 12th among safeties. Entringer arrived with a strong resume after serving as a defensive captain for the Hawkeyes and earning All-Big Ten honorable mention recognition following a season with 73 tackles, four pass deflections, and one forced fumble.
Over his first four seasons at Iowa, Entringer totaled 100 tackles, five pass deflections, one forced fumble, and one interception. With Hutchinson now gone and headed to Cincinnati, Louisville will be counting on Entringer to play a major role in the secondary.
The Cardinals also added DJ Waller from Kentucky, Kaleb Beasley from Tennessee, and Santana Wilson from Texas, while bringing back Tayon Holloway from 2025. Losing Hutchinson to a rival is a tough break, but Louisville still has a secondary with enough new faces and returning pieces to make noise in 2026.
In Other News...
Louisvilles Rebuilt Offense Already Has One New Connection To Watch
Jeff Brohms roster overhaul at Louisville has brought in more than 32 transfers, and the early buzz around the rebuilt offense is already narrowing to a few names. Among the most notable additions are 4-star transfer Lincoln Kienholz from Ohio State and Lawayne McCoy from Florida State, with McCoy arriving after a productive 2025 season and carrying the kind of profile that suggests he can step in quickly.
McCoy is expected to start right away and become a key piece for an offense that needed fresh playmakers after the offseason turnover. A recent social media post showing off his athletic ability only added to the optimism, and it has given Cardinals fans one more reason to keep an eye on how quickly Louisvilles new pieces begin to click. [Read more 🡒]
Jeff Brohm's Louisville Hype Just Reached A Whole New Level
The buzz around Louisville football has already started building for 2026, and it is not hard to see why. With offseason moves in place and a roster that still looks capable of taking another step, the conversation around Jeff Brohms program has turned from simple optimism to a full set of bold expectations, the kind that usually only show up when a team believes the ceiling is a lot higher than the rest of the sport assumes.
Among the predictions being floated are a Heisman-caliber season for running back Isaac Brown, two 1,000-yard receivers, a breakthrough ACC title and a trip to the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. Add in an 11-win regular season, and the picture being painted is of a Louisville team that could be headed for its most ambitious season in years, even if every one of those forecasts still lives in the realm of projection for now. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Is Still Chasing A 5-Star PG Everyone Wants
The recruiting race for Cayden Daughtry is beginning to take shape, and Louisville remains in the mix for one of the most coveted point guards in the 2027 class. Daughtry has trimmed his options to a final 14 schools, with the Cardinals still alive for a player ranked as high as No. 3 nationally and already sitting on 33 offers.
His profile has surged even further after a strong showing at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam, where he turned heads across the high-major landscape. For Louisville, staying involved this early matters, because the list is crowded and the competition around Daughtry is not going away anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]