On top of their ongoing transfer portal recruiting hot streak, the Louisville football program has now plucked a player from their sworn rival.
Izayah Cummings, a tight end who spent the first four years of his collegiate career at Kentucky, announced Sunday that he has committed to play his final season of eligibility with the Cardinals.
He's the second transfer commitment of the day for Louisville, following Eastern Illinois safety Blake Ruffin. The Cardinals have landed multiple portal commits in each of the last four days, securing nine total since Friday.
The 6-foot-3, 232-pound tight end has had a bit of an up-and-down collegiate career up to this point. Playing in all 12 games this season with two starts, he caught just four passes for 98 yards. However, all of his production came in the final two games of the season, which included a 55-yard reception in the Governor's Cup against Louisville.
The Louisville native and Male alum initially came out of high school as a wide receiver, spurning the Cardinals to become a Wildcat. After logging no stats as a freshman, Cummings made the switch to tight end as a sophomore, then proceeded to catch 14 passes for 195 yards and three touchdowns that season. However, he was buried on the depth chart as a junior in 2022, only managing a 23-yard rush despite playing all 13 games.
While Cummings might not be super experienced, his commitment comes at a huge position of need for Louisville, as they were not able to get much production out of the tight end group until the end of the season. However, head coach Jeff Brohm and his staff have overhauled the tight end room, bringing in San Diego State's Mark Redman and Ball State's Tanner Koziol. Louisville also brings back Nate Kurisky, Duane Martin and Jamari Johnson.
Cummings is the 14th player to transfer to Louisville in this cycle, and the third tight end following Redman and Koziol. The Cardinals have also seen nine scholarship layers enter the portal since the winter transfer window opened on Dec. 4.
He is expected to sign on Dec. 20 for the first day of the early signing period. Louisville went 10-2 during the regular season with a berth in the ACC Championship Game under first year head coach Jeff Brohm, and are preparing for their Holiday Bowl matchup with USC on Dec. 27.
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