Louisville football's 2026 commitment class is one of its best classes in a few years, as the Cardinals have landed multiple 4-stars thanks to Vince Marrow and Jeff Brohm. This recruiting class is generating buzz and capturing the attention of fans, which means these elite recruits will also draw attention from other top schools.
Louisville fans have seen eight commitments decommit and flip to another program, and it is reported that the Cardinals' hidden gem and future running back star is now on flip watch. Lekhy Thompkins transferred to IMG this offseason for his senior year, and the 3-star running back is having a breakout season that is drawing the attention of big-time programs. The Louisville commit is keeping his eyes open, making Louisville fans concerned.
ACC giant and rival the Miami Hurricanes are the latest team to be all-in on Thompkins and to push for him to flip from Louisville. Deion Sanders and Colorado continue to push hard for Thompkins, as reported in August. Now, Louisville has to fight these ACC giants off as Thompkins is their only running back commit, and they don't want to miss out on this star.
Related: Louisville feels pressure from Deion Sanders as Colorado pushes to flip elite RB
Louisville football's elite RB commit on flip watch
Earlier in 2025, the Cardinals were dealt a blow when Kentucky native and the No. 1 recruit out of the state, Evan Hampton, flipped from Louisville to Vanderbilt. The 4-star running back is a top 400 recruit in the 2026 class, and many were pumped to watch him in a Cardinals uniform. However, that was shortly lived as he flipped to Vandy in July.
Colorado and Miami continue to push for Louisville RB commit Lekhy Thompkins, @BenjaminRivals reports👀
— Rivals (@Rivals) October 9, 2025
Read: https://t.co/sZezYNQzog pic.twitter.com/e3LOnY4uJO
The Cardinals then earned Thompkins' commitment on May 23, giving this running back room a significant boost, as the IMG Academy star is an underrated prospect in this class. He ranks as high as a 3-star running back and No. 633 in the 2026 cycle. He is ranked the No. 61 running back in the 2026 cycle and the No. 50 player out of Florida.
Thompkins saw a massive jump in his rankings, as he was previously unranked by 247Sports and ranked No. 1052 by On3 Sports, but is now a top-700 prospect by both media outlets.
Louisville must keep Thompkins, as he is proving this senior season that he is a star in the making. The Louisville commit has rushed for 619 yards in his six games this season, while rushing for 8.4 yards per carry, and averaging 103.2 yards per game. He has rushed for over 3,8000 yards in his high school career.
Related: Louisville’s hearts shattered after top recruit delivers gut-wrenching SEC flip
For all the latest on Louisville football's 2025 season and recruiting, stay tuned.