Louisville’s football team is just over five weeks away from its season opener in Nashville against Ole Miss on September 6. Cardinal fans are ready to see how the new pieces of this team will come together. Jeff Brohm’s tenure as Louisville’s head coach has been defined by his ability to take transfer quarterbacks and get the best out of them for one season at a time. With transfer quarterback Lincoln Kienholz expected to be this year’s starter, Brohm will once again rely on a mixture of returning players and newcomers to lead his offense this season.
The running back room should still be the guiding force for a team that could compete for another ACC Championship Game appearance. Isaac Brown and Keyjuan Brown could combine for 2,000 rushing yards if they both stay healthy, taking some of the pressure off both Brohm and Kienholz as he settles into the starting role.
While Louisville returns nearly all of its production at running back, the wide receiver room is almost completely new. With Chris Bell and Caullin Lacy both moving on to the NFL, the Cardinals must replace more than 130 receptions, 1,500 receiving yards and eight touchdowns from last year's team. In order to do that, they will rely heavily on incoming transfers to make sure the offense continues to match expectations for the 2026 season.
Here are the three biggest difference makers for Louisville’s football season this year.
3. Lawayne McCoy, WR
McCoy transfers to Louisville from Florida State with a 6-foot-1, 175-pound frame and the ability to impact the offense in several different ways. The junior was originally ranked as the No. 4 athlete in the 2024 recruiting class and the No. 19 overall player in the state of Florida coming out of Miami Central. Last season at Florida State, he totaled 27 catches for 396 yards and three touchdowns. He finished the year with the best game of his career, hauling in six catches for 110 yards and a touchdown against rival Florida.
In Brohm’s offense, McCoy could find success all over the field. Wide receivers coach Deion Branch described him as "slippery" and a "good route runner," adding that getting him the ball in space could be the key to unlocking his potential. If McCoy can emerge as Louisville’s No. 2 receiver in 2026, it would be a sign that the Cardinals have one of the more dangerous passing attacks in the ACC.
2. Tre Richardson, WR
Richardson is regarded as Louisville’s biggest transfer addition this offseason. He arrives from Vanderbilt after recording 46 receptions for 800 yards and seven touchdowns in the SEC. He also capped off his season by torching Iowa in the bowl game with six catches for 127 yards and a touchdown. Richardson was the No. 14-ranked wide receiver in the transfer portal this offseason and is exactly the type of player who helped turn Vanderbilt into a much more competitive team in the SEC.
At 5-foot-11 with elite speed, Richardson could easily step into the role Chris Bell held in Louisville’s offense last season. He has all the tools to become Brohm’s next 1,000-yard receiver. Brohm has consistently gotten the most out of his top wide receivers, including Jamari Thrash, Ahmari Huggins-Bruce, Ja'Corey Brooks and Chris Bell. Richardson could be the next player to thrive in that role.
1. Lincoln Kienholz, QB
It was always going to be difficult to match the hype that Miller Moss brought with him entering last season. The former top recruit came from a major program after showing flashes of his potential. Kienholz fits that mold as well, but he enters Louisville with even less experience than Moss did. The former four-star recruit has attempted just 36 passes during his two seasons at Ohio State, but he built a reputation in high school for his accuracy and taking care of the football.
Brohm has built his reputation at Louisville on getting the most out of one-year transfer quarterbacks. He started with Jack Plummer in his first season, followed by Tyler Shough and Miller Moss in the years after. If Kienholz is going to reach the potential that made him one of the nation's top quarterback recruits, there may not be a better coach to help him do it than Brohm. There will be plenty of pressure on him, but with one of the ACC's best running back tandems behind him and Brohm calling the offense, there is every reason to believe Kienholz can lead Louisville back into ACC Championship contention in 2026.
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