From Ty Simpson at Alabama to Julian Sayin at Ohio State, quarterback battles are coming to an end all across the country. Yet, at Louisville, the competition to back up Miller Moss continues to wage on. However, this is one battle where Jeff Brohm hopes he never has to declare a victor.
Deuce Adams and Brady Allen have both impressed the Cardinals coaching staff, but not nearly enough to unseat Moss, who transferred to Louisville from USC, where he was benched by Lincoln Riley last season. Moss is Brohm’s third-straight transfer portal starter since taking over at his alma mater, and ideally, he’s the only quarterback who sees the field in meaningful snaps this season.
Deuce Adams and Brady Allen will compete for the QB2 job all season
With Moss slated to take the field in Week 1 when Eastern Kentucky comes to town, Brohm won’t need to choose his primary backup unless and until Moss goes down with an injury or struggles so much that he has to be replaced.
Offensive coordinator Brian Brohm recognizes the advantage that the extra time gives his staff to evaluate the two backup quarterbacks, especially with the added pressure of competition.
“We have a good backup battle going on,” Brian Brohm told the media late last week. "Brady's been in our system quite a bit. Deuce has been here a little while. Those guys know the system. We're putting them in different situations, seeing how they handle it, and that battle will continue to go all the way up until we need them."
Some coaching staff’s like the ones in Tuscaloosa and Columbus, played up their fall camp battle for the starting role to simulate the pressure that their first-year starters will face on gameday. At Louisville, the Brohm brothers don’t have to manufacture that competitive environment because it’s inherent in such a crowded QB room.
Moss has just one year of eligibility remaining, so unless the coaching staff plunges back into the Transfer Portal, this year’s QB2 battle is the precursor to the one over the starting job next year when Allen is heading into his redshirt senior season and Adams is a redshirt sophomore.
Brohm hasn’t been afraid of onboarding a transfer QB into his system each year, but eventually, he may favor continuity, so Adams and Allen need to vie for consideration as the program’s QB1 in 2026, not just competing against each other but against every QB who hits the portal.
At some point, the Brohm brothers will be forced to reveal their preferences behind Moss, but as long as the veteran starter stays healthy and plays well, that moment won’t come this season.