LOUISVILLE, Ky. – It’s just one day removed from the end of the Louisville football program’s regular season, but the offseason player movement has begun.
Offensive lineman Madden Sanker plans to enter his name into the transfer portal, he announced Sunday. It is unlikely that he will play in Louisville’s upcoming bowl.
“I want to start off by saying I love and appreciate everything the University of Louisville has done for me,” Sanker said in a post on Twitter/X. “I want to specifically say thank you to Coach Owens, Coach Fish, and Coach Brohm. Thank you guys for leading and building me up as a man. I want to say thank you to every fan that has ever supported. Running out of that tunnel was one of the best feelings I’ve ever felt.”
Sanker is the first Louisville player to announce his intentions to enter the portal, and the third overall. Safety Devin Neal did so back in early October after self-declaring a redshirt season and leaving the Cardinals, and cornerback Aaron Williams did this past Friday.
Monday, Dec. 9 will mark the first day of college football’s 30-day winter transfer portal window. Players will then have until Saturday, Dec. 28 to enter the portal under current NCAA guidelines.
The 6-foot-5, 310-pound offensive guard was a backend reserve during his two years at Louisville. He played in just two games this season, seeing 20 snaps vs. Austin Peay and two against Jacksonville State, while only playing eight snaps against Murray State as a true freshman in 2023.
This came despite the fact that Sanker was a highly-regarded prospect coming out of high school. The Douglasville (Ga.) South Paulding product ranked as the No. 255 recruit in the 2023 cycle per the 247Sports Composite, and with a composite rating of 0.9122, he was the highest-rated offensive lineman to ever sign with the Cardinals.
Louisville will learn their bowl draw on Sunday, Dec. 8 following the end of conference championship weekend.
