Louisville Football is coming off an 8-4 regular season that was capped off with a 35-34 win in the Sun Bowl against the Washington Huskies. It was an overall successful season, with its share of ups and downs, that coach Jeff Brohm and the Cardinals look to build upon this year.
With Louisville playing in the ACC title game in 2023 and being in the mix for the ACC title game late last season, expectations are high for this team, as well as the goals they could achieve. The Cardinals had an active offseason, which included key additions and departures on both sides of the football.
3 Cardinals with legitimate breakout potential for Louisville Football in 2025
Louisville must now lean on new rising stars after losing multiple key starters from last season. With the season just a month away, here are three players who look to step into these roles and provide breakout performances for this year’s Louisville Cardinals squad.
3. Wes Bailey, DE
Wes Bailey is coming off a season that was cut short due to injuries in 2024 while playing for Rutgers. However, Bailey showed promise in his four years at Rutgers, including posting the second-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, the senior Bailey looks to come in and be a leader on the defensive line, especially at the end position. It will be crucial that Bailey and the rest of the defensive line apply pressure to the opposing quarterback, aiming to secure much-needed sacks and force turnovers.
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2. Rodney Johnson, CB
Rodney Johnson transferred in from Southern University, where he recorded 35 total tackles, one forced fumble, and one interception during the previous season. Johnson comes to a revamped secondary looking to provide a much-needed safety blanket to the Louisville defense this season.
The Cardinals lost four of their top five defensive backs from last season, and Johnson is quickly emerging as one of Brohm's best defensive backs entering the 2025 season. The 6-foot-2 200 200-pound defensive back was one of the widely agreed-upon standouts from the spring game and showed the talent and skill required to be a starting CB in the ACC.
Johnson is primed to lead the secondary and provide the needed spark at a position and defensive group with many question marks entering the season. If Louisville wants to compete for the ACC Title, its defense must force turnovers and get stops, and Johnson has the potential to be that guy.
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1. Chris Bell, WR
Chris Bell enters his senior season after posting 43 receptions with 737 receiving yards and four touchdowns as WR2 in 2024. Bell is widely believed to be WR1 and Miller Moss’s top target this upcoming season.
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound receiver has all the tools to be a superstar this season, from his speed to his physicality to his playmaking ability. There were some concerns about untimely drops that Bell will need to address, as fans saw in the Spring Game, which led to an interception.
However, Bell is in a great spot to be the leading receiver for the Cardinals this season and put his name on the map as one of the best receivers in the ACC. The Cardinals will need a big year from Bell if they want to reach their expectations of being an ACC title contender and return to Charlotte for just the second time in program history.
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