Photo by: Taris Smith | Louisville Athletics
Cards Add a Pair of Productive Transfers
January 15, 2026 | Football
LOUISVILLE Ky. – The University of Louisville added a pair of key transfers in linebacker Tyler Thompson and wide receiver Tre Richardson.
Thompson was a standout pass rusher at North Carolina last season, while Richardson was an explosive playmaker at the wideout position at Vanderbilt.
A native of Cary, N.C., Thompson played in three seasons for the Tar Heels, spanning 27 career games and recorded 32 tackles and 7.0 sacks. He had a breakout season in 2025, finishing eighth in the Atlantic Coast Conference with 7.0 sacks and recording 7.5 tackles for loss.
In 2024, Thompson appeared in 12 games, earning the start twice. He recorded his first two career starts against Charlotte and NC Central while finishing the year with five tackles and two quarterback hurries. As a true freshman in 2023, Thompson appeared in three games and registered two tackles, a TFL and a fumble recovery
Thompson enrolled early at UNC after racking up 191 tackles, 39 sacks and 84 TFL over his three varsity seasons, including 77 tackles, 15 sacks, 30 TFL as a senior.
A big-play wide receiver, Richardson caught 46 passes for 806 yards and seven touchdowns, while averaging a hefty 17.5 yards a reception, which ranked fifth in the Southeastern Conference. He closed the season by recording three 100-yard-games over a span of four contests, including a six-catch, 159-yard, three touchdown performance in a win over Kentucky. The native of Topeka, Kan., closed his Commodore career with six catches for 127 yards and a 75-yard touchdown in a loss to Iowa in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Prior to his brief stint at Vanderbilt, Richardson was a unanimous first-team all-Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association selection at wide receiver, also earning honorable mention all-league recognition as a return specialist his only season with the program. He recorded 52 catches for 983 yards and 11 touchdowns and averaged 24.1 yards per kick return while ranking second in the conference and among the top 10 nationally with 146.5 all-purpose yards per game.
Richardson, who was selected first-team all-Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference on special teams, played at Hutchinson (Kan.) CC as a freshman, earning first-team NJCAA All-American honors as a return specialist where he averaged 27.1 yards per kick return and 16.2 yards per punt return, ranking second in the country in both categories.
Thompson was a standout pass rusher at North Carolina last season, while Richardson was an explosive playmaker at the wideout position at Vanderbilt.
A native of Cary, N.C., Thompson played in three seasons for the Tar Heels, spanning 27 career games and recorded 32 tackles and 7.0 sacks. He had a breakout season in 2025, finishing eighth in the Atlantic Coast Conference with 7.0 sacks and recording 7.5 tackles for loss.
In 2024, Thompson appeared in 12 games, earning the start twice. He recorded his first two career starts against Charlotte and NC Central while finishing the year with five tackles and two quarterback hurries. As a true freshman in 2023, Thompson appeared in three games and registered two tackles, a TFL and a fumble recovery
Thompson enrolled early at UNC after racking up 191 tackles, 39 sacks and 84 TFL over his three varsity seasons, including 77 tackles, 15 sacks, 30 TFL as a senior.
A big-play wide receiver, Richardson caught 46 passes for 806 yards and seven touchdowns, while averaging a hefty 17.5 yards a reception, which ranked fifth in the Southeastern Conference. He closed the season by recording three 100-yard-games over a span of four contests, including a six-catch, 159-yard, three touchdown performance in a win over Kentucky. The native of Topeka, Kan., closed his Commodore career with six catches for 127 yards and a 75-yard touchdown in a loss to Iowa in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Prior to his brief stint at Vanderbilt, Richardson was a unanimous first-team all-Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association selection at wide receiver, also earning honorable mention all-league recognition as a return specialist his only season with the program. He recorded 52 catches for 983 yards and 11 touchdowns and averaged 24.1 yards per kick return while ranking second in the conference and among the top 10 nationally with 146.5 all-purpose yards per game.
Richardson, who was selected first-team all-Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference on special teams, played at Hutchinson (Kan.) CC as a freshman, earning first-team NJCAA All-American honors as a return specialist where he averaged 27.1 yards per kick return and 16.2 yards per punt return, ranking second in the country in both categories.
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