A week following the Texas Longhorns’ disappointment in losing out on Damonic Williams from TCU to Oklahoma, head coach Steve Sarkisian and his team effectively leveraged that setback by recruiting Jermayne Lole, a former player for the Louisville Cardinals, away from the Sooners. Lole, standing at 6’3 and weighing 310 pounds, has one more year of eligibility and becomes the third defensive tackle the Longhorns have acquired via the NCAA transfer portal this offseason, joining Tia Savea and Bill Norton, both from the Wildcats.
Lole entered the transfer portal promptly when it opened last month, leaving Louisville despite initially planning to return for another season after receiving a medical redshirt for the 2022 season, during which he only played one game before being sidelined by an elbow injury.
#hookem 🤘🏽 pic.twitter.com/mhkDRevrxl
— Jermayne Tauinaola Lole🇦🇸 (@JermayneLole) May 9, 2024
Oklahoma managed to secure an official visit from Lole during their spring game, and he committed just two days later. However, this commitment didn’t ensure that he would finish his college career in Norman. Instead, he has chosen to don the burnt orange and white of Texas, lining up against the Sooners in the Cotton Bowl.
In the 2023 season, Lole made nine starts and appeared in 12 games for the Cardinals, rebounding from two injury-laden seasons to tally 19 tackles, five tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and two pass breakups. His career trajectory was initially promising, but injuries interrupted his journey, including missing the entire 2021 season at Arizona State due to a triceps injury.
During his time at Arizona State, spanning three seasons and 28 appearances, Lole amassed 123 tackles, 20.0 tackles for loss, 11.0 sacks, eight pass deflections, and two forced fumbles. He was a three-star prospect in the 2018 recruiting class, hailing from Long Beach Poly, ranked nationally at No. 551 and as the No. 24 strong-side defensive end according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. Lole opted for Arizona State over 13 other offers, including Arizona and Tennessee, and also visited San Diego State and Washington State officially.
Now, Lole is set to vie for the starting position alongside Savea, Norton, and senior Vernon Broughton opposite senior Alfred Collins, effectively filling the last significant gap along the defensive line as new position coach Kenny Baker seeks to replace Byron Murphy and T’Vondre Sweat, who were recognized as the nation’s top two interior defensive linemen in 2023 by Pro Football Focus.
With Lole onboard, Texas now has 83 scholarships lined up for the fall season.
