In the month and a half or so since Tyler Gabbert (kinda) unexpectedly announced he was transferring from Missouri, it was widely rumored that his next college destination could very well be Louisville.
Reportedly, the ex-Mizzou quarterback has indeed decided to become a current Cardinals QB.
According to the Louisville Courier-Journal‘s C.L. Brown, it’s “unofficially official” that Gabbert “will be in U of L’s August camp.” Brown further writes that “Gabbert quietly landed the Cards final scholarship in the 2011 class, which is partly whyDaMarcus Smith abruptly dropped his appeal to the NCAA and decided he’d honor his UCF commitment after all.”
Smith, a Louisville high school product, created a bit of a ruckus earlier this offseason with his unsuccessful attempt, publicly thwarted by head coach George O’Leary, to get out of his UCF commitment.
Gabbert, on the other hand, emerged from a spring practice battle with James Franklin as No. 2 on the depth chart as the Tigers attempt to replace first-round NFL draft pick Blaine Gabbert, who also serves as Tyler’s older brother in his spare time. The younger Gabbert had also considered Iowa, Arizona and Wake Forest among others, but it appears his relationship with Shawn Watson may have tipped the scales in favor of the Big East school.
Gabbert was originally committed to Nebraska and was recruited by Watson, who at the time was the Cornhuskers’ offensive coordinator. Watson is now the quarterbacks coach at Louisville, and remains a longtime friend of the Gabbert family. The QB visited the school in mid-May, which apparently further planted the seeds of a transfer.
If Gabbert does land at Louisville -- the school has yet to confirm the move, and an official announcement does not seem imminent -- or any other Div. 1-A school for that matter, he would have to sit out the 2011 season to satisfy NCAA transfer rules.
UPDATED 11:28 a.m. ET: Head coach Charlie Strong has confirmed Gabbert is transferring to his program.
“I’m excited to have Tyler Gabbert officially join our football program,” Strong wrote in a posting on his Twitter account.