Charles Gaines Louisville vs. Notre Dame Photo by Adam Creech

UofL Football Adds 3 Transfers

Mark BlankenbakerMay 3, 2022

Cornerbacks Quincy Riley (Middle Tennessee) and Jarvis Brownlee (Florida State), and safety Nicario Harper (Jacksonville State) will join the Cardinals for the upcoming season.

Riley was one of the top cornerbacks nationally, ranking first in Conference USA and fourth nationally in interceptions.

A native of Columbia, S.C., Riley played 18 games and made 12 starts in three seasons at Middle Tennessee. The 6-0, 181-pound cornerback ended 2021 season with 33 tackles, nine pass breakups and a team-high five interceptions. A first team all-league performer last season, Riley recorded a pair of interceptions versus UTSA and recorded a career-best 13 tackles against FAU.

As a redshirt freshman in 2020, Riley was awarded a spot on the C-USA All-Freshman Team after closing the year with 14 tackles, four pass breakups and a pair of interceptions. He registered his first multi-interception game with two picks against North Texas.

Prior to signing at Middle Tennessee, Riley lettered in football, basketball and track at A.C. Flora High School. A 3-Star recruit by 247Sports and the No. 16 recruit in South Carolina, Riley was named the Region IV-4A Special Teams Player of the Year after recording six special teams scores. Riley earned all-state accolades after leading A.C. Flora with five interceptions in 2018 to go with 28 tackles and had 19 receptions for 303 yards and four touchdowns. As a track standout, Riley won the South Carolina 4A 100 (10.4) and 200 meters and was named the South Carolina Boys 4A Track Player of the Year in 2019.

Brownlee, a three-year performer at cornerback, recorded 78 tackles and three interceptions during his 24 games with the Seminoles. The 2021 campaign was his best, registering 51 tackles and two interceptions in 12 games. The 5-foot-11 defensive back registered career-high 10 tackles vs. Miami and returned interception 70 yards for touchdown versus UMass.

A native of Miami, Fla., Brownlee recorded 26 tackles, including 2.0 for loss with 1.0 sack, and interception in eight games in 2020. The co-Devaughn Darling Defense Freshman of the Year, Brownlee had career-high eight tackles, including six solo and 1.0 for loss against Pitt.

Prior to his time at Florida State, Brownlee was rated as four-star prospect by Rivals, and three-star by 247Sports and ESPN. Ranked as nation’s 44th-best cornerback and No. 50 overall prospect in Florida by Rivals, Brownlee was part of defense that recorded five shutouts and allowed average of 9.8 points per game while leading Miami Carol City to 9-3 record and Regional Semifinal round of FHSAA 6A state playoff. He recorded longest interception return in Traz-Powell Stadium history as a senior, going back 108 yards for a touchdown.

Harper, a 6-foot-1, 205-pounder, played two seasons at Jacksonville State, where he played two seasons. In 2021, Harper recorded 54 tackles and a pair of interceptions for the Gamecocks. He was credited with nine tackles and an interception versus Stephen F. Austin.

The Atlanta, Ga., native started 12 of the 13 spring and fall games played in his first full season at Jacksonville State in 2020. Leading the team with 92 tackles, Harper was named the Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and a first team Associated Press and AFCA All-American. He was credited with at least six tackles in all but two contests on the season with a career-high 13 tackles coming against Tennessee Tech.

Before playing at Jacksonville State, Harper spent two seasons at Southern Mississippi, appearing in nine games as a true freshman in 2018.

Harper prepped at Carver High School in Atlanta, Ga., where he earned first team All-Region 6-AAAAA as a safety and also earned honorable mention honors as a tight end.