Louisville football will play just its third road game of the 2025 season this weekend against Virginia Tech in the hostile environment of Lane Stadium. The Cards come into this game ranked No. 16 in the nation, and with the College Football Playoff rankings set to be released on Nov. 4, Louisville must send a strong message to the committee.
The Cards enter their showdown with a few players on the injury report, but the one player the fans had their eyes on was star linebacker Stanquan Clark. The dominant linebacker has been sidelined since his knee injury in the fourth quarter against JMU, and earlier this week, head coach Jeff Brohm gave a slight optimism that he could return this weekend.
Last night, the ACC released its preliminary injury report, and Cardinals fans received some devastating news that the star linebacker will not be available this weekend and is out for the crucial ACC showdown.
Louisville linebacker Stanquan Clark is out this week, but there remains optimism he will be back by Clemson on Nov. 14, source tells @On3sports. https://t.co/AnKiyI3vVE
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) October 31, 2025
Related: Jeff Brohm gives crucial Louisville injury update on Stanquan Clark and Duke Watson
Stanquan Clark's devastating injury update
Brohm stated earlier this week in his weekly press conference that Clark had rehabbed "very well," and it was his first week back on the field and practicing. Clark was ruled out in the injury report last night, but despite the key defender missing this game, it appears he is trending to make his return sooner rather than later.
Clark was second on the Cards' defense in 2024 in total tackles with his astounding 76 tackles, and added eight tackles for a loss, two forced fumbles, two interceptions, two pass breakups, and one sack. Before his injury in 2025, he had seven tackles and was a crucial piece on the Cardinals' defense, as he is one of the best linebackers in the nation at stopping the run.
Louisville fans have seen Antonio Watts and TJ Capers step up and have huge seasons for the Cardinals, but with Louisville making a push for the ACC Championship game and the College Football Playoffs, getting Clark back would be a massive boost. Hopefully, he can continue to recover and trend in the right direction, as the ideal situation is to have the star linebacker back by the Clemson and SMU games.