LOUISVILLE, Ky. -Louisville’s football program has lost a crucial part of their secondary at an inopportune time.

Safety Devin Neal has left the team, the program announced less than an hour before they faced SMU. He is expected to enter the transfer portal.

As a result, Louisville’s already thin secondary is getting a little thinner. Star corner Quincy Riley missed last week’s game at Notre Dame and is a game-time decision today against the Mustangs. Corners Corey Thornton and Tahveon Nicholson have also been banged up in recent weeks.

Neal joined from Baylor ahead of the 2023 season and made an immediate impact. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound safety played in all 14 games while starting 13 and ultimately led the team in interceptions with four, was second in tackles with 74 and also finished with 3.0 tackles for loss, six pass breakups and a clumsy recovery. He earned third-team All-ACC honors.

The Lexington, Ky. native was expected to be another key contributor to Louisville’s secondary, but he has come off the bench in all four of Louisville’s games thus far. He recorded nine tackles (five solo) before leaving the Cardinals.

Neal was a key part of Baylor’s 2022 safety rotation. Appearing in 11 games with seven starts this season, the 6-foot-1, 201-pound safety recorded 41 total tackles (31 solo), 2.0 tackles for loss , a sack, two interceptions, a forced fumble and a pass breakup. The only game he didn’t play in was Baylor’s regular season finale at Texas.

During his three seasons with the Bears, Neal collected 67 total tackles (50 solo), 3.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sacks, two picks, two forced fumbles and a pass breakup. He played his high school ball at Frederick Douglass and was ranked as the No. 9 prospect in the state of Kentucky, according to him 247Sports.

Kickoff against SMU is scheduled for 12:00 PM EST.

(Photo by Devin Neal: Sam Upshaw Jr. – Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)

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