Miami Hurricanes add transfer LB: Louisville's K.J. Cloyd has eye on making immediate impact as a senior
The Miami Hurricanes continue their run adding talent in the transfer portal.
The new addition? On Sunday evening Louisville linebacker K.J. Cloyd announced he will be playing for UM this season. Cloyd had initially entered the portal in December, returned after Jeff Brohm was hired but then went back in June 1 as a graduate transfer.
A 6-2, 229-pounder, he played middle linebacker at Louisville last season but was a backup who played just 140 reps. He ended with 15 tackles, 2 QB hurries and a fumble recovery.
Out of Columbia, Miss., Cloyd initially was planning to head to Ole Miss out of the portal … but playing for his previous LB Coach at Louisville, Derek Nicholson, was too good an opportunity to pass up.
Cloyd played his first year out of high school in junior college, then in 2020 at Louisville he played off the bench in 11 games and had 12 tackles, then in 2021 he started one game and came off the bench in 12 others. He had 12 tackles on the year.
That brings us to this past season, when he was again in a reserve role.
As for his Pro Football Focus grades?
In 140 reps last season he graded out at 61.9 overall (71.8 run defense, 51.9 tackling, 70.0 pass rush and 48.0 in coverage). In 2021, his other decent amount of reps with 157 (he had 29 reps in 2020), Cloyd graded out at 58.0 percent overall (42.7 run defense, 33.2 tackling, 65.1 pass rush, 68.2 in coverage). PFF also noted him with two QB hurries last season and four hurries in 2021.
At Miami Cloyd will be injected into the competition at linebacker competing with everybody, particularly Keontra Smith and Corey Flagg.
The Canes already added Francisco Mauigoa in the portal out of Washington State, who is expected to start at MLB. Wesley Bissainthe is a returner at OLB who flashed last season as a true freshman, but there just isn’t much quality depth behind those two.
