What Arizona State transfer Jermayne Lole adds to Louisville football's interior defense

You'll be hard pressed to find a college football coach who will turn down the addition of a 300-pound defensive lineman with Division I experience, especially when said player had more solo tackles during the COVID-shortened 2020 season than most returning members of a team's defensive line amassed during a full 2021 campaign.

In short: Welcome to Louisville, Jermayne Lole. The 6-foot-2, 305-pound Arizona State transfer announced his commitment to the Cardinals on Friday, just a week after the redshirt senior's official visit to the 502.

Lole's quick turnaround in announcing his commitment speaks volumes of his time with Scott Satterfield and members of the Cardinals' staff, during which he tweeted, "It’s different different out here." The former Sun Devil was scheduled to visit Florida on Friday, Texas Tech on May 27 and Oregon on June 3.

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What did Jermayne Lole do at Arizona State?

A three-star prospect out of high school, Lole entered the transfer portal in late April after three seasons with Arizona State. He was Pro Football Focus' No. 2 interior defender in the country heading into the 2021 campaign but did not see the field after suffering a triceps injury that required surgery during a preseason practice.

One only needs to look back at Lole's performance during ASU's 2020 season, shortened to just four games by the coronavirus pandemic, to see the productivity he will bring to Louisville's interior defense, which allowed 4.4 rushing yards per attempt in 2021. Lole tallied 24 tackles (17 solo, five for loss) and broke up two passes.

What does Jermayne Lole bring to Louisville's defense?

Compare Lole's 2020 stats — a small sample size, to be sure — to how Louisville's returning defensive linemen performed during the 2021 season, and the results are jarring. Only YaYa Diaby had more solo tackles (24) than Lole in 2020, and that's across 13 games. It feels like a safe bet to say that, barring injury or other unforeseen circumstances, Lole will be trotting out with the starting defense when the unit takes the field during Louisville's season opener Sept. 3 at Syracuse. And the Cards will be better for it.

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As a sophomore in 2019, Lole totaled 72 tackles, good for third-best by an Arizona State lineman in program history, and was credited with just one missed tackle. His 6.5 sacks that season were more than any U of L lineman had in 2021.

Since then, Lole has had a shortened season and a year of rehabbing to continue developing the quickness and physicality that jump out on tape. He has a proven ability to shed blockers and the motor to chase down opposing quarterbacks when pressure forces them out of pocket.

Lole's experience will also be a welcome addition for a unit looking to replace upperclassmen Malik Clark and Jacquies Turner. His presence in the position room could help spur the development of rising sophomore Ashton Gillotte and other underclassmen.

Judging by a follow-up tweet Friday, the Long Beach, California, native will fit in just fine among Cards fans, too.

"Y’all let me know where I can get a Peyton Siva jersey. I need that," Lole wrote, adding a laughing emoji.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: What Arizona State transfer Jermayne Lole adds to Louisville football