BREAKING: Louisville LB KJ Cloyd to Transfer to Miami
Miami continues to dominate the transfer portal as they add Louisville linebacker K.J. Cloyd from their ACC rival.
Cloyd announced he would be transferring to Miami on Sunday evening, rejoining his former position coach Derek Nicholson in Coral Gables.
A veteran transfer piece, Cloyd is expected to come in and immediately compete for one of the starting linebacker spots currently held by Washington State transfer Francisco Mauigoa and star freshman Wesley Bissainthe.
At 6'2" and 229 pounds, Cloyd fits the mold of where Miami wants to go from a size perspective at the position going forward. He also provides experience, as he was a key reserve for Louisville for the past three seasons after playing at Jones College where he came in as one of the more highly touted junior college linebackers in the 2020 class.
Despite a reserve role, Cloyd graded out at 71.8 as a run defender according to Pro Football Focus. His signature games of 2022 came against NC State, USF, Wake Forest, and James Madison, where he totaled ten tackles, two quarterback hurries, and a fumble recovery.
The addition of Cloyd finalizes the flip of yet another position group for Mario Cristobal. Since his arrival, Miami has added five linebackers from the high school ranks, four of which were blue-chip prospects, and two from the Transfer Portal.
The change in physical stature is also a major change for the linebackers, which has been a major issue for Miami in recent memory. Virtually every player Miami has added at the position hits the baseline 6'2" and 225 pounds. The lack of size is a huge reason Miami has seen just two off-ball linebackers selected in the NFL Draft since 2015.
With Cloyd's familiarity with Nicholson and his quick turnaround from entering the Portal at the beginning of the month to enrollment, an early impact is firmly on the table for Miami's newest addition.
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