The Louisville Cardinals and head coach Jeff Brohm are off and running in the 2025 football season as fall camp enters its third week. Many players have already started to form into their roles and find their place on this year's team. Fall camp is one of the best (if not the best) opportunities for players, both returning and new to the team, to display their talents and play their way into starting spots.
Fall camp is not just for setting the starting lineups for the upcoming season. It’s also a chance for others to cement key backup roles and set themselves up for potential starting roles for future teams. Cardinals fans have been taking in all of the early updates from fall camp as the season quickly approaches.
That said, here are 10 Louisville football players fans are excited to hear updates about as the 2025 season grows closer.
10 Louisville football players fans are most excited to hear about
10. TJ Capers, LB
TJ Capers enters the 2025 season in a battle for playing time with the various returning linebackers from last year's team. The 6-foot-2 sophomore saw limited playing time as a freshman, posting only six tackles in five games. Capers looks to use fall camp as a tool for potentially increasing his playing time total and to make a bigger impact in Defensive Coordinator Ron English’s scheme this season.
Capers is a former 4-star recruit out of Miami, FL, with plenty of potential and strength to bring a Louisville defense looking for impact players. He’ll have stiff competition for starting spots this season, with a currently loaded linebacking corps primed to lead the defense. However, Capers could play his way into being a key role player this year and take that next step into a leadership role next season.
Related: Former 5-star commit who was going to transfer won't leave Louisville after all
9. Dacari Collins, WR
The wide receiving corps is led by returning seniors Chris Bell and Caullin Lacy. However, Miller Moss will need other players to emerge as viable targets to help spread the offense and keep defenses on their toes. Senior Dacari Collins looks to fill this void for the Louisville offense and be another key target for Moss.
Collins transferred in from ACC foe North Carolina State, where he posted 24 receptions for 314 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Collins will have plenty of competition to work alongside this fall as he attempts to carve out playing time and a potential starting spot on this year’s squad. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound receiver has the athletic build to be an incredible vertical threat for Moss in this offense. Fall camp will be a great opportunity to see if Collins can become the third option for Moss in the passing attack.
Related: Louisville football adds explosive 4-star WR transfer from ACC opponent
8. Jojo Evans, DB
Senior transfer Jojo Evans enters fall camp in a battle for a starting role in a position group with many question marks. The secondary returns minimal production from last year’s team, and has the tall task of replacing current NFL cornerback and Louisville star Quincy Riley. Evans will be competing alongside other transfers and returning players to carve out a starting role and determine where his talents will fit best with English’s defensive scheme.
Louisville is the No.4 team for Evans throughout his college career, which included stops at Marshall, Kent State, and Florida International. He had an awe-inspiring year last year, posting 93 total tackles (52 solo and 41 assisted) as well as two interceptions for the FIU Panthers. Evans looks to continue that success at the power conference level this year and help provide needed answers for a group many speculate to be a potential weak link in the Cardinal defense.
Related: Louisville's forgotten hidden gem wasting no time impressing Cardinals at fall camp
7. Pete Nygra, C
The Louisville Cardinals have one of the top running back tandems in the country returning for their sophomore seasons. Isaac Brown and Duke Watson both look to build off the success from last season and to help set the tone on the ground for the Louisville offense. All of this success hinges on the abilities of the men up front, and that starts with Senior center Pete Nygra.
Nygra is the returning starting center from last year's team, which helped provide the success for the run game for both Brown and Watson. A newly denoted Rimington Award watchlist candidate, Nygra started all 13 games for the Cards last season and helped anchor a solid blocking front for both the run game and the pass game. Nygra’s progression into this season is exciting to see and will hopefully provide the leadership and toughness needed to continue the success seen by the offense in 2024.
Related: Two more Louisville players earn spots on prestigious preseason watch lists
6. Antonio Watts, LB
Another player attempting to carve out his spot in a loaded linebacker room is Antonio Watts. This key linebacker is a returning Cardinal looking to build on the successes he found last season.
The Junior linebacker had a solid year, posting 51 total tackles (31 solo and 20 assisted) as well as forcing one fumble. Watts will bring needed experience to the defense, along with his counterparts, and will provide an additional member who knows what Jeff Brohm and Ron English expect from this side of the football.
Watts has been seen as behind returners TJ Quinn and Stanquan Clark on the depth chart entering fall camp. However, Watts could easily be thrust into a leadership spot rather quickly with his play on the field.
This could also be a year for Watts to cement his role for his senior season as a leader of the defense and a potential NFL prospect. The possibilities are endless for Watts as fans hope to see a breakout year and a strong showing by the Louisville linebacking corps.
Related: Ron English predicts an NFL future for underrated Louisville linebacker
5. Jaleel Skinner, TE
The offseason departure of freshman tight end Jamari Johnson to the Oregon Ducks had Cards fans in shambles, thinking about this year’s passing game. Johnson was a reliable target for former QB Tyler Shough and was believed to have an even more elevated role for the team this upcoming season. The Cards will now have to turn to others on the team for this production, such as junior tight end Jaleel Skinner.
Skinner has been one of the highlights of the fall camp thus far. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound tight end is playing up to his previous 4-star recruiting rating and potentially earning a starting spot with the team. The tight end position ended up playing a key role with Johnson last season. Cards fans hope that Skinner can elevate his game to take on the role and be another key target for QB Miller Moss to share the ball with.
Related: Louisville football adds a key 4-star that could unlock the entire offense
4. Wes Bailey, DE
The defensive line has big shoes to fill with the graduation of former senior Ashton Gillotte and his entry into the NFL. Gillotte’s presence forced numerous double teams and pushed offenses to scheme away and around his skill set.
Multiple individuals are vying to take on this role for the Louisville defensive line this season, with one of these being defensive end Wes Bailey. Bailey had an unfortunate injury that cut short his 2024 season while playing for Rutgers.
However, Bailey showed promise in his four years at Rutgers, including posting the 2nd highest sack total in the 2023 season for the Scarlet Knights. With his career 9.5 sacks and after plenty of reps during the spring, Bailey looks to cement his spot as one of the starting defensive ends and to be a leader on the defensive line this upcoming season.
Bailey’s production will be critical for the defense in ensuring pressure is placed on the opposing quarterback and the run is stuffed at this line of scrimmage.
Related: Louisville has already established its Ashton Gillotte replacement early in fall camp
3. Rodney Johnson, CB
As mentioned previously, the defensive secondary is a potential weak point in the defense due to the lack of returning production. Another potential piece to this puzzle to help the Cards is the incoming senior CB Rodney Johnson. Johnson transferred in from Southern University, where he posted 35 total tackles, one forced fumble, and one interception last season. Johnson looks to continue this success at Louisville this upcoming season.
Johnson has also emerged as an early leader for the secondary throughout the fall camp. His role may be two-fold in both providing the production on the field needed for defensive success, as well as being the leader Ron English needs to anchor the back of the secondary.
It will be crucial that the secondary steps up and serves as the final line of defense against some of the best teams in the country that the Cards face this season. Johnson will hopefully be one of the bright spots and help the Cardinals' defense endure a season of improvement from last season’s defensive shortcomings.
Related: 3 Cardinals with legitimate breakout potential for Louisville Football in 2025
2. Keyjuan Brown, RB
Much anticipated has already been stated for the other two sophomore running backs on Louisville’s team this preseason. However, Keyjuan Brown is also a returning piece to the running back room that is looking to find his spot in the backfield.
Brown was a surprise return to the Cards last season, especially after seeing the return of Isaac Brown and Duke Watson after the season’s end. The former 3-star running back from Atlanta, GA, has plenty to prove this season.
The running back position is challenging, especially from an injury avoidance perspective. There is a chance that Brown’s name will be called to play a more substantial role in the offense if Isaac Brown or Watson have issues arise (knock on wood that doesn't happen).
Highlights and stories from practice related to Brown’s potential, as well as his potential for carving out some playing time, will have Cards fans all ears for not only this season, but also the future of the running game for the Cards.
Related: Louisville 2025 game-by-game predictions: Can Cardinals beat Clemson again?
1. Miller Moss, QB
All Cards fans know the season’s success rides on USC senior transfer quarterback Miller Moss’s shoulders. The run game is anticipated to be the focal point of the Cardinals' offense; however, Moss’s role in the pass game will be crucial.
The success of the run game should open up plentiful opportunities for Moss to capitalize. It will be up to Moss to improve on the mistakes of the past and take advantage of what the defense gives him play by play.
Moss has had his struggles in the past, which in turn led to his benching at USC last season. Louisville fans are following fall camp closely to see if Brohm and his staff are resolving the issues of the past. Moss has plenty of potential and has shown he can make key throws in high-pressure situations.
It's a balance that Cards fans are hoping Brohm and Co. can swing in Louisville’s favor this season.
Related: 3 crucial factors Miller Moss must master to lead Louisville to an ACC Title
For all the latest on Louisville football's offseason, stay tuned.