Future Louisville RB draws national attention with dominant IMG Academy debut

Louisville football must keep their star running back after he put on a show in his IMG debut.
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One Louisville football commit in the 2026 recruiting class who has recently gained a lot of hype is 3-star commit Lekhy Thompkins. The future star tailback for the Cardinals has been trending for high school stars ever since he transferred over from Trinity Christian to IMG Academy.

Thompkins is on a flip watch at the moment as Deion Sanders and Colorado extended an offer after his preseason dominant performance. Now, the running back made his official debut for the No. 6 IMG Academy, and he dominated from start to finish.

Related: Louisville’s hearts shattered after top recruit delivers gut-wrenching SEC flip

Lekhy Thompkins put on a show in his debut for IMG Academy

The 6-foot-1, 235-pound running back made his debut for the No. 6 high school in the country against Hoover High School out of Alabama. Thompkins and IMG dominated from start to finish as they won 34-13, and the Louisville commit was the star of the show.

The Florida native running back scored three touchdowns in his debut for IMG, including one rushing touchdown that logged for 60 yards. The 3-star tailback was the most dominant player on the field, setting the tone for his new high school and proving why he is a future college football star.

Thompkins is ranked as high as the No. 101 recruit out of Florida and is ranked No. 1052 in the nation, per On 3 Sports. He also ranks as the No. 61 running back in the 2026 cycle. In his preseason, he rushed 20 carries for 117 yards and three touchdowns. The future Cardinal is making a name for himself at IMG early and proving why Louisville must do all it can to keep him.

After Jeff Brohm and Vince Marrow lost the state's No. 1 recruit and 4-star running back Evan Hampton to Vanderbilt, Thompkins remains as the only running back commit in the Cardinals' 2026 recruiting class. So, Louisville needs to keep this once hidden gem a Cardinal and to avoid a disaster situation of him flipping to Colorado or any other program.

Related: Louisville feels pressure from Deion Sanders as Colorado pushes to flip elite RB

For all the latest on Louisville football's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.