The Early Signing Period just happened, and Louisville football saw 19 recruits officially sign with the Cardinals. Louisville was once ranked No. 30 in the 247Sports rankings for its commitments, but after the Cardinals lost three key commits in one week, they plummeted to No. 47 in the nation.
Well, on top of that, Louisville fans learned overnight that the Cardinals are expected to lose a key member of their staff to Will Stein and the Kentucky Wildcats. The former Louisville quarterback and former Oregon offensive coordinator is already turning to the team he played for and ripping the Cardinals apart.
Will Stein steals Louisville's Director of Recruiting
Nick Roush of KSR reported overnight that Louisville's Director of Recruiting, Pete Nochta, is "expected" to leave the Cardinals and join Stein and the Wildcats. This is quite a switch, as Nochta has spent over 10 years with the Cardinals, and now, after serving as a key member of Louisville and the future of recruiting, he is quickly heading over to the Cards' biggest rival.
KSR has learned that Pete Nochta, Louisville's Director of Recruiting, is expected to join Will Stein at Kentucky.
— Nick Roush (@RoushKSR) December 5, 2025
He spent more than a decade at Louisville and worked for three different head coaches. https://t.co/QK7uycsy2d pic.twitter.com/96kDJWLV7e
This sounds awfully similar to when Louisville stole Vince Marrow from Kentucky. Marrow spent over 12 seasons with the Wildcats and is now Louisville's Executive Director of Player Personnel and Recruiting. So, the Cards ripped Marrow from Kentucky, and now Stein is quickly making moves with the Cats and is stealing Nochta from the Cardinals.
Since Marrow arrived, He has definitely been the main guy for recruiting high school athletes, but losing a staff member who has been on staff with Louisville across three head coaches is never easy, and losing him to Kentucky makes it worse. So, it will be hard to see him wearing Kentucky blue rather than Louisville red, but the fans have shown complete trust in Marrow and his recruiting.
For all the latest news and updates on Louisville football's 2025 season and recruiting, stay tuned.