Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham declared for the 2023 NFL Draft on Friday and opted out of the Fenway Bowl.
“Thanks to the coaching staff for pushing me on and off the field to be the best I could be,” Cunningham wrote in a social media post. “To my brothers, thank you for relationships that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
“With that being said after many conversations with God and my family, I will be declaring for the 2023 NFL Draft. I will be opting out of the bowl game and starting my pre-draft training.”
Cunningham, in his fourth full season at Louisville, played in 10 games in 2022 and completed 62.4 percent of his passes for 1,568 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions, adding 560 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. His best season came in 2021, when he threw for 2,941 yards, 19 touchdowns and six picks while adding 1,031 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground.
Cunningham set a Louisville record for career touchdowns responsible for (120) and tied the ACC record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (50). His 3,184 career rushing yards was second in Cardinals history only to Lamar Jackson.
Louisville (7-5) will face Cincinnati (9-3) on Dec. 17 in the Fenway Bowl in Boston.
–Field Level Media