The College Football 2025 season is quickly approaching, and the Louisville Cardinals are emerging as one of the top ACC teams. Jeff Brohm and his Cardinals have one of the most explosive offenses in the nation, as they will be led by their new 4-star USC transfer quarterback, Miller Moss.
Moss will have some elite weapons on the outside, as Chris Bell and Caullin Lacy will form an incredible wide-receiver duo. However, the running back room is the best position room for the entire team. Louisville football's dynamic duo, Isaac Brown and Duke Watson, is expected to guide this team to another 9-win season and maybe an ACC Title.
Pro Football Focus recently put out a top 10 for the best running back rooms in College Football, and by no surprise at all, the star Cardinals running backs made the top five.
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Isaac Brown and Duke Watson join elite company fueling Louisville football buzz
Per PFF, the Louisville Cardinals' elite rushing attack is ranked No. 4 in the nation ahead of the 2025 season. The Cardinals' running back room is the only ACC team that made this top 10 list, as Brown and Watson are expected to be crucial reasons Louisville can compete for an ACC crown.
Brown is coming off a historic freshman season. He rushed for 1,168 yards, breaking Lamar Jackson's freshman record. The elite running back averaged 7.2 yards per carry last season, the most by any Power-Four running back. He was named ACC Rookie of the Year and ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year and earned a spot on the All-ACC Second Team.
Joining Brown in the backfield is the highly explosive tailback and another true freshman, Duke Watson. The former 4-star running back's 8.7 yards per carry led all college football with at least 50 carries last season.
"In 2023, the Cardinals had two star running backs in Jawhar Jordan and Isaac Guerendo. Even though both moved on to the NFL, Louisville found its next dynamic duo in a pair of true freshmen this past season.Pro Football Focus
Despite not even ranking as a top-40 running back recruit coming out of high school, Isaac Brown was an instant star for the Cardinals. The former three-star recruit ran for 1,168 yards as a true freshman, the most of any returning Power Four tailback. Brown’s 7.2 yards per carry also led all Power Four running backs, returning or not. He’s my No. 2 running back in college football.
Duke Watson didn’t have the volume that Brown had, but he was incredibly efficient. The former four-star recruit’s 8.7 yards per carry led all FBS backs with at least 50 attempts. His 90.6 PFF grade was also the best mark of any true freshman Power Four back with at least 100 snaps. "
The Cardinal running back room was only behind Penn State, Notre Dame, and Texas, in that order. Louisville joins elite company as all three teams have National Championship-contending rosters, making Louisville football fans believe Brohm can lead this Cardinals squad to their second ACC Championship game and, hopefully, their first ACC Title and College Football Playoffs.
The returning freshman is set for another explosive season and to be one of the Cardinal's glaring reasons they can upset Clemson for the second straight season. The Cardinals will open their 2025 season against Eastern Kentucky at L&N Stadium on Aug. 30.
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