Before playing UCF on Friday night, Louisville confirmed multiple reports that they will have to play the rest of the season without a key transfer player on their squad: defensive lineman Jermayne Lole.
Lole suffered an elbow injury during the team’s opening game against Syracuse last week, and that injury won’t allow him to return at all in what is his fifth collegiate season.
This is the second year in a row that Lole suffered a season-ending injury, after sustaining a triceps ailment while with the Arizona State Sun Devils.
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Dezmond Tell started ahead of Lole, though he played 25 snaps against the Orange. He did not record a tackle in the 37-7 loss.
The No. 2 transfer prospect in the portal this spring according to Pro Football Focus, Lole had 123 tackles in his career at Arizona State, which spans over 27 games. He also had 11 sacks, 20 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles with two recoveries.
Needing to stop the run — the Cardinals allowed 4.4 yards per carry last season — Lole was recruited by Louisville, where he and Tell were expected to compete for the defensive tackle role that could help their cause on the ground. Now it will be up to Tell, who did win the job out of camp, to fill the holes there.
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Jared Dawson is expected to be Tell’s backup now at nose tackle.
Meanwhile, UCF won their first game of the season, defeating SC State 56-10 on their home turf. They will welcome a Cardinals team looking to get its first victory of the season at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday night.
