Louisville Aiming Big in Transfer Portal, Eyes on DJ Lagway and Dylan Raiola
Jeff Brohm isn’t waiting around this offseason. With the transfer portal open from January 2 to January 16, Louisville is making its intentions crystal clear: the Cardinals are going after a quarterback, and not just any quarterback - they’re targeting the biggest names available.
While some fans had hoped to see young talent like Deuce Adams develop into a starter next season, the Cards are signaling a different direction. For the fourth straight year, Louisville is looking to the portal to find its next QB1. And this time, they’re swinging for the fences.
According to reports, Brohm and his staff have already reached out to two of the most high-profile quarterbacks in the portal: Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola and Florida’s DJ Lagway. Both are former five-star recruits from the 2024 class, each ranked among the top seven players in the nation coming out of high school. These are not just solid options - these are potential program-changers.
Raiola and Lagway each bring elite-level upside, and while they’re still developing in certain areas, the ceiling for both is sky-high. Landing either one would be a massive win for a Louisville program that has built a reputation as a quarterback-friendly destination under Brohm.
In just three seasons, he’s already earned the “quarterback whisperer” label, turning two transfer QBs into NFL prospects. While the Miller Moss experiment didn’t quite pan out like the previous two, Brohm’s track record speaks for itself.
Now, with the portal heating up, Brohm is aiming to reload - and possibly upgrade - at the most important position on the field. Raiola currently holds the No. 2 spot in the portal rankings, with Lagway right behind him at No.
- That means Louisville isn’t just in the mix - they’re in the thick of a high-stakes recruiting battle for two of the most coveted players available this cycle.
If Brohm can land either Raiola or Lagway, it would be more than just a short-term fix. Both quarterbacks have multiple years of eligibility, meaning the Cards could be setting themselves up not just for a strong 2026 campaign, but for sustained success - assuming NFL Draft decisions don’t come into play early.
For Louisville fans, this is the kind of offseason buzz that turns hope into real excitement. The program is positioning itself as a serious player on the national stage, and being in the conversation for quarterbacks of this caliber is a sign of how far the Cardinals have come under Brohm.
The portal window may still be a couple of weeks away from opening, but the groundwork is already being laid. Brohm is going big. Now it’s just a matter of whether he can close the deal - and deliver a quarterback that could define the next chapter of Louisville football.