The Louisville Cardinals have been looking for a defensive coordinator since Ron English stepped down earlier this offseason. After multiple weeks without any announcements, it seemed as if Jeff Brohm would promote someone on staff to the coordinator position rather than hire a new one. Well, the Cardinals got an answer to their biggest question as Louisville football announced yesterday it promoted Mark Ivey and Steve Ellis to co-defensive coordinators.
Ivey was also moved to coach the defensive line, while Ellis was moved to coach the safeties, who were previously coached by English. Ivey spent time on Louisville's previous staff under Scott Satterfield and was retained by Jeff Brohm when Brohm replaced Satterfield in 2023. Since then, Ivey has been a key part of developing Louisville's stout defense under Brohm.
So, with Ivey being promoted, here are three key stats that prove Mark Ivey was the perfect hire for Louisville:
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No. 3: Mark Ivey's player development at Louisville
Ivey has been known to develop players since he has been at Louisville, and that is especially apparent under Jeff Brohm. Ivey has had success with the defensive line and linebackers, especially. Louisville's front seven has been above average since Brohm arrived, and even in the last two seasons under Scott Satterfield, the defensive line has been a solid unit. The key reason for this is Ivey's ability to develop players.
Take, for instance, how Louisville has developed TJ Quinn. The former star linebacker became an all-conference player at Louisville, and that is no doubt due to Ivey. Quinn started his career with just 18 total tackles and 9 solo tackles, and in his 2025 season at Louisville, he had 95 total tackles, 91 solo tackles, and 3 sacks to finish out his season. Ivey has been key to developing talent, and that will continue with him at the helm in 2026.
No. 2: Louisville's offensive yards allowed in 2025
Louisville has been near the top in all of college football when allowing offensive yardage, and that was especially apparent in 2025. The Cardinals, with Ivey on staff, allowed just 303.1 yards per game in 2025, ranking 16th in the FBS and 2nd in the ACC.
Being near the top of both of these metrics is quite impressive for Louisville under Jeff Brohm, and Ivey has shown that he can get his team playing above-average defense in a Power-4 conference. Ivey will look to continue this in 2026, and that will be especially important since he will be a co-defensive coordinator and will also oversee the entire defensive line.
No. 1: Louisville's points allowed in 2025
Louisville has ranked as a top 35 defense in all of Brohm's first three seasons at Louisville, and Ivey once again was a big reason for that. Even in 2022, under Satterfield, Ivey had the Cardinals rolling on the defensive front as they had the most sacks in all of college football (49).
The defense for Louisville in 2025 was especially effective, allowing just 21.2 points per game, which ranked 38th in the FBS and 5th in the ACC. Ivey will look to keep the good vibes rolling on defense in 2026, and if anyone can prove they can, it is Mark Ivey.