Last night, Louisville football earned two commitments, including a star transfer from Ohio State, Lincoln Kienholz. Jeff Brohm has often secured his quarterback early in the portal, as now he can build around him and give his new QB1 the assets he needs to succeed.
With Louisville earning a commitment from the Ohio State transfer, the question now is, what is next for Brohm? Well, that answer is quite simple for Louisville fans as they are now quickly turning to the running back position. Louisville lost Shaun Boykins Jr., Duke Watson, and Isaac Brown to the portal, but of those three, Louisville’s star running back, Isaac Brown, stands out from the rest.
Now that Louisville landed a star in Kienholz and saved thousands of dollars, the bid for Isaac Brown is now officially on between the Cardinals and the Texas Longhorns.
Related: Nightmare scenario comes true as Louisville suffers biggest Transfer portal loss yet
Louisville football must find a way to keep star RB Isaac Brown
The next move for Louisville is obvious, as they must go back into a bidding war with Texas to try to keep their star running back. With Brown announcing he will enter the Transfer Portal on Jan. 1, there hasn't been much more buzz around his name. And now, since Louisville earned Kienholz's commitment, Brown has already followed the newest Cardinal on Instagram, making Cardinals fans think there is a possibility they can keep their preseason All-American running back.
Goodnight, Card Nation‼️ https://t.co/jv2p9AITFE pic.twitter.com/LrZB52zuGU
— Louisville Updates (@LVILLEUPDATES) January 4, 2026
247Sports logged a Crystal Ball prediction shortly after Brown entered the portal for Texas, but after Louisville earned the Ohio State transfer's commitment, there's buzz around the city that Brohm might try to keep his star running back. The price for Kienholz hasn't been announced yet, but Louisville saved thousands of dollars by not signing a player like Dylan Raiola or DJ Lagway.
And now, with Louisville saving all that money, the thought and plan is to try to give it to Brown. The Cardinals' star running back has been nothing but dominant in his two seasons with Louisville, logging 2,057 rushing yards on 7.7 yards per carry while adding 18 touchdowns.
Brown immediatley became the No. 1 running back in the Transfer Portal and ranks No. 16 overall. It isn’t going to be easy to keep him, especially going up against Texas, but Brohm is cooking early in this portal window, and with landing an early commitment from an elite 4-star QB, while also landing multiple visits from elite wide receivers, it is the best recipe for Louisville to try and keep their star running back from transferring.
Related: Who's coming and who's going: Louisville football 2026 Transfer Portal tracker
For all the latest recruiting news and updates for Louisville football, stay tuned.