Louisville feels pressure from Deion Sanders as Colorado pushes to flip elite RB

Louisville football is in a recruiting battle with Deion Sanders and Colorado University as Jeff Brohm and the Cardinals are fighting to keep their 3-star hidden gem, Lekhy Thompkins.

The Cardinals received some concerning news on Monday morning that the star running back received an offer from Colorado and will even take a visit out to Sanders. The Cards earned Thompkins' commitment back in May 2024 after the 3-star committed to Louisville over Memphis and Minnesota.

Now, Louisville is fighting to keep him part of their 2026 recruiting class, especially after they lost Kentucky native and 4-star running back Evan Hampton.

Colorado has offered Louisville RB commit Lekhy Thompkins🦬https://t.co/e18sY7NhBp pic.twitter.com/d551SYCOSo
— Rivals (@Rivals) August 17, 2025

Deion Sanders and Colorado pushes to flip Louisville football's elite RB commit

The Cardinals' 2026 recruiting class has earned a total of 22 commitments after seven players decommitted, including five 4-stars. Thompkins is Vince Marrow and Brohm's only running back commitment at the moment, proving this must be one of their top priorities to keep him part of this class.

The 6-foot-1 235 235-pound running back is ranked as high as the No. 61 running back in the 2026 cycle and the No. 101 player out of Florida. On3 Sports ranks him as the No. 1052 prospect in the 2026 recruiting class, and after his IMG debut, the 3-star tailback is getting the most hype in his recruiting process.

While it was just a preseason game, Thompkins went on to log 20 carries for 117 yards and three touchdowns. The Florida native transferred to IMG Academy after playing his first three seasons at Trinity Christian, where he earned 643 carries for 3823 yards and 51 rushing touchdowns.

The Cardinals now are in desperate times and must do all they can to keep this elite 3-star running back and avoid Sanders and Colorado stealing him like Vanderbilt did with Hampton.

For all the latest on Louisville football's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.