LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- When the Louisville Kings needed to shore up their defensive line, they didn't have to look far.
The expansion franchise has signed 33-year-old Lorenzo Mauldin IV, a former Cardinals pass rusher who went on to become one of the CFL's most feared defensive ends, per the United Football League's transaction wire.
The New York Jets selected Mauldin in the third round of the 2015 draft with the 82nd overall pick. He logged three seasons in the league, tallying 33 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and a forced fumble while pulling in more than $5.3 million in earnings before heading north to Canada.
That move proved transformative. Mauldin further blossomed as an elite pass rusher with the Ottawa Redblacks, culminating in a historic 2022 campaign in which he racked up 17 sacks and was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player.
Louisville | Kentucky | Indiana | Eric Crawford
He earned All-CFL honors twice during his four seasons in Ottawa before being dealt to the Calgary Stampeders at the 2025 trade deadline, where he added 26 tackles and two sacks over 15 combined games.
He hit free agency when he declined to re-sign with Calgary, opening the door for the Kings to bring him aboard. Over 91 career CFL appearances with Ottawa, Calgary, and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, he has accumulated 163 tackles, 36 sacks, 12 special teams tackles, and six forced fumbles.
Long before any of that, Mauldin was making a name for himself in Louisville. He spent four seasons with the Cardinals from 2011 to 2014, finishing his collegiate career with 114 tackles, 21 sacks, and 33.5 tackles for loss in 47 games. His 2013 season earned him second-team All-American Athletic Conference recognition and helped establish him as one of the most productive pass rushers in program history.
FITZPATRICK RELEASED: Dez Fitzpatrick, who the Kings selected in the UFL draft in January, is no longer on the Louisville roster, according to the league. The wideout was at Louisville from 2016 to 2020, recording 154 catches for 2,589 yards and 21 touchdowns in 40 games for the Cardinals. He posted a career-high 45 catches for 699 yards and nine touchdowns in just nine games in 2017, and followed that up with 43 catches for 833 yards and three touchdowns across 11 games in 2020.
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