Is the Minkins Family the Next Great Louisville Football Family?

Jaden Minkins, younger brother of Josh Minkins Jr., has committed to the University of Louisville and will now join his older brother on the roster and continue the Louisville legacy that was started by his father Josh Minkins Sr.

Josh Minkins Sr., a noted ballhawk for the Louisville Cardinals from 1999-2004, instilled a legacy of Louisville football into his sons from a very young age. Both Josh Minkins Jr. and Jaden Minkins now will be sharing the field at Cardinal Stadium in what is an amazing story of loyalty to the University of Louisville football program.

Josh Minkins Sr. played some running back in high school, but was an “aggressive defensive back” in college for Louisville under Head Coaches John L. Smith and Bobby Petrino, in his first stint with the program. Minkins recorded a lot of gameplay fielding kick and punt returns as well as playing on the defensive side of ball with his eyes fiercely locked on the ball.

He recorded 5 interceptions during his time as a Cardinal, according to modern statistics tracking and both of his sons followed in his footsteps with the ability to play both of sides of the ball in college and are headed into the world of collegiate football as ballhawks.

Josh Minkins Jr. has been a part of the Louisville football program since the 2020 season. He arrived on-campus as a three-star safety recruit and has been growing on the defensive side of the ball. This past 2022 season was by far his best as a Cardinal as he recorded 39 solo tackles, 16 assisted tackles, 55 total tackles, one sack, one interception, and one forced fumble.

Now going into his fourth year with the program, he will be an established veteran and will be able to help his brother out in ways that many people could not, and his advice will be coming from a place of love and respect because of their sibling relationship. Jaden Minkins, his younger brother and fellow Ballard Bruin alumni, just announced his commitment to the Louisville Cardinals via his Twitter account as a preferred walk-on.

Jaden continues the Minkins family pipeline to the University of Louisville and could be a great asset to a defense that has been loaded with talent this offseason and will be under the direction of Ron English this next season, who employs a 4-2-5 defensive scheme that is greatly beneficial to defensive backs.

In his senior season as a Bruin, he helped lead them to the 6A State Semifinals and recorded 33 tackles, including three tackles for loss, 3 interceptions with two of them returned for a touchdown, as well as a 66-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown. He also returned three punt returns for touchdowns, so he is very familiar with the endzone for a defensive player.

We all know the Brohm family is the first great football family of Louisville, but could the Minkins family be the second?

The three Brohm brothers: Greg, Jeff, and Brian all played their careers with the University of Louisville with Greg being the only one who didn’t play at the quarterback position. Now, all three of them are coming back home to coach at the University of Louisville and have intersected with the Minkins family, who is potentially the second greatest Louisville football family.

Josh Minkins Sr., Josh Minkins Jr., and Jaden Minkins all played on the defensive side of the ball and  their last name has always been synonymous with Louisville football. That sounds very familiar to the Brohm family who all played on the offensive side of the ball and their last name has always been synonymous with Louisville football.

The Brohms established a pipeline from Trinity High School and the Minkins established a pipeline from Ballard High School. Now, it is a magical intersection between both families being associated with the program in what could be the most exciting Louisville offseason in several years.