Louisville football has done an excellent job with its 2026 recruiting class so far. The Cardinals have landed multiple 4-star recruits and dominated the state of Kentucky, even stealing an elite recruiter, Vince Marrow, from the Kentucky Wildcats.
However, Louisville lost a crucial 4-star running back commitment to Vanderbilt in Evan Hampton. After 3-star running back Lehky Thompkins' dominant start with IMG Academy, Colorado, and others are heavily recruiting him, making him one of the top players on the recruiting radar.
So, with the Cardinals losing the state's No. 1 recruit to Vanderbilt and fighting to keep their only other running back commitment, it is clear that Marrow and Jeff Brohm have to go all-in after one elite 4-star running back after he just decommitted from Oklahoma State yesterday.
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Louisville football fans want elite 4-star RB after decommitment
The Cardinals just found their perfect Hampton replacement. Kaydin Jones decommitted from the Pokes immediately after the news broke that Mike Gundy was fired. Now, Jones can, of course, recommit to Oklahoma State, but since Louisville was one of his five final schools before he committed to OSU, the Cardinals need to reach out and re-enter his recruiting process.
Jones committed to Oklahoma State in March, just days after he visited the Pokes. The Cardinals were scheduled to have an official visit with the 4-star running back over the summer, making it clear they were high up on his list. The Oklahoma native is ranked as high as No. 5 in the state and No. 21 running back in the nation.
The 4-star running back has logged 73 carries for 471 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in 2025 already, as well as adding seven receptions for 78 yards and two receiving touchdowns. Jones has a total of 4,576 all-purpose yards and is on pace to break the state of Oklahoma's all-purpose yards record.
Jones is in the top ten in the state of Oklahoma of all time in carries, rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and total touchdowns. He earned over 30 offers during his recruiting process, but his final five schools were Oklahoma, Kansas, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, and the Cardinals.
Marrow and Brohm will have a tall task trying to steal him from the Pokes and others, but with Hampton flipping to Vanderbilt and Thompkins' recruiting process still open, it is crucial for Louisville to re-enter the Jones recruiting process.
For all the latest on Louisville football's 2025 season and recruiting, stay tuned.