Louisville football’s 2026 season is just around the corner, and the Cardinals fans are eagerly waiting for this huge Week 1 showdown with Ole Miss. Louisville will enter the preseason ranked for the first time since 2017, as the No. 24 Cardinals will face the No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels.
Louisville has some high expectations entering this upcoming season, and a large reason is because of this running back room. Louisville returns two key running backs, Isaac Brown and Keyjuan Brown, while also adding 4-star transfer Marquise Davis from Missouri.
Isaac is expected to be one of the top running backs in the country for the third straight season, and earlier today he was asked about his personal and team goals and it was exactly what Louisville fans wanted to hear.
Isaac Brown wants to stay healthy for Louisville in 2026
Brown is coming off a year where his season was shortened with injures. Brown played in just eight full games, but he was dominant averaging 8.8 yards per carry, and rushing for 884 yards and seven touchdowns on just 101 carries. Now, he is entering his third season with Louisville as a preseason All-American and when he was asked about this years goals he kept it short and sweet.
“My individual goal is to always play the whole season,” stated Brown. “And the team's goal is to get to the championship and to get to the playoffs.”
The Cardinals have never punched their ticket to the College Football Playoffs, but many are labeling Louisville as a major dark horse team this upcoming season. Brown and company have a favorable schedule, not having to play Miami, Clemson, or Virginia, and they get their toughest ACC opponent, SMU, at home in Week 3.
Louisville has the third-highest odds to win the ACC Title, and Brown makes it clear that is the goal. As for himself, he wants to play a full season. He mentioned he gained around 12 pounds this offseason and is taking much better care of his body so he can do all that he can to stay on the field for the entire season.
When Brown is on the field, Louisville is consistently one of the top teams in the ACC and can compete with anybody. They beat No. 2 Miami last year after he rushed for 15 carries and 113 yards and beat No. 11 Clemson his freshman season after rushing for 151 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries.
Louisville fans know Brown’s health is going to be a major factor for the Cardinals' CFP and ACC Title chances, as he is the ultimate game-changer. If he can stay healthy and play a full season, as he aims to, then this Cardinals team has shown it can compete at the highest level, including in an ACC Championship game and for a CFP berth.
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