There is a lot to look forward to regarding Jeff Brohm and this new-look Louisville football squad. The Cardinals' offense is getting a lot of attention this offseason, as Brohm built a unit that has the potential to be extremely explosive.
He added 4-star Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz to start at quarterback, three 4-star receivers in Tre Richardson, Lawayne McCoy, and Brody Foley, and built a whole new unit up front. On top of that, Louisville returns one of the top running back rooms in the nation in preseason All-American Isaac Brown and Keyjuan Brown.
However, in a recent show on ESPN’s College Football Insider, Greg McElroy reports that, despite the offense's potential, the players and staff in the locker room truly believe the defense is the strength.
Greg McElroy sends a loud message about Louisville football’s defense
To Louisville fans, this might not come as a huge surprise. The defense returns a lot of valuable pieces, and while they might have lost their defensive coordinator and key players like TJ Quinn and multiple starters in their secondary, McElroy makes it clear there is a lot of upside.
“If you listen to Louisville’s players over the last couple of weeks and you listen to the coaches, they actually think the defense could be the strength of the football team, not the offense, which is pretty optimistic,” stated McElroy. “Clev Lubin is upfront. He is a takeover-the-game edge defender. He is big time. AJ Green as well. Tayon Holloway, Stanquan Clark, Antonio Watts, Demeco Kennedy- these guys are all potentially legitimate difference makers.”
The Cardinals' defense returns some real stars from last season. Lubin is a preseason All-American for a reason. As McElroy said, he can take over a game. He has combined for 18 sacks over the past two seasons, including 8.5 sacks last year with Louisville. Up on the defensive line, Louisville returns Green, who was one of the ACC’s top edge rushers this past season, earning 31 tackles and four sacks.
Then Louisville added UNC transfer Tyler Thompson, a 4-star transfer ranked No. 101 in the Transfer Portal after logging 7.5 sacks this past season. Moving to the linebacker room, the Cardinals return key veterans in Stanquan Clark, TJ Capers, and Antonio Watts. While the room will have big shoes to fill with Quinn graduating, these three linebackers are experienced and should be a strength for the Cardinals' defense this upcoming season.
As for the secondary, the Cardinals lost multiple key pieces, but they returned Holloway and added Iowa transfer Koen Entringer, Kentucky transfer DJ Waller, Tennessee transfer Kaleb Beasley, and Ole Miss transfer TJ Banks.
Louisville has some questions about its defense, which is why it is ranked No. 23, but the combination of returning talent and key transfers gives the Cardinals a lot of confidence that this defense can truly be the team's strength in 2026.
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