This is going to be a shot in the dark, and that is important to remember when reading this article. Louisville football added 30 players from the Transfer Portal and 20 from the 2026 recruiting class, bringing the team to over 50 new players for the 2026 roster.
Jeff Brohm had to rebuild multiple positions, including quarterback, wide receiver, secondary, and offensive line, making it hard to predict the depth chart in January, but it is worth a shot.
Louisville football's way-too-early 2026 offensive depth chart projection
Quarterback:
Starter: Lincoln Kienzholz
Backup: Davin Wydner
Depth: Briggs Cherry
Starting things off with the most important position, the Ohio State transfer will be the Cardinals' QB1 in 2026, as Lincoln Kienholz transfers to Louisville, looking to take that next step in his career and be a starter. Kienholz didn’t earn many reps in his three seasons at Ohio State, but as a former 4-star recruit in the 2023 class, he has high expectations.
Behind Kienholz, we expect there to be a battle for the QB2 position. Right now, we are projecting the West Georgia transfer and former Ole Miss QB Davin Wydner to be Kienholz's backup, but expect 4-star recruit from the 2026 class, Briggs Cherry, to challenge Wydner for that QB2 spot.
Running Back:
Starter: Isaac Brown
Backup: Keyjuan Brown, Marquise Davis
Depth: Braxton Jennings, Lekhy Thompkins
We are quite confident in this position, as Preseason All-American Isaac Brown will be RB1 and Keyjuan Brown will more than likely be RB2. The Cardinals' running back room is seeing a major change after losing Duke Watson, Jamarice Wilder, and Shaun Boykins Jr., but is adding 4-star transfer Marquise Davis and a 3-star recruit from the 2026 class, Lekhy Thompkins.
Expect I. Brown to get the majority of the carries and have a career season, while K. Brown gets RB2 carries and gets put in position to take over the next season. Davis will be that elite third option with Braxton Jennings and Thompkins down in the depth chart, adding depth.
Wide Receiver:
Starters: Tre Richardson, Lawayne McCoy, TreyShun Hurry
Backups: Montavin Quisenberry, Jackson Voth, Kris Hughes
Depth: Payton Cook, Marlon Harbin, Gavin Waddell, D.J. Williams, T.J. McWilliams
One of the positions Louisville had to completely rebuild this offseason was the wide receiver position. The Cards lost their top two receivers, Chris Bell and Caulin Lacy, to graduation, and multiple wide receivers to the Transfer Portal.
The Cardinals' key additions include Vanderbilt transfer Tre Richardson and Florida State transfer Lawayne McCoy, while also getting a big boost with TreyShun Hury returning for a final season. Richardson and McCoy transfer in as 4-star transfers, while Louisville will also add Montavin Quisenberry and Jackson Voth for depth from the portal. Kris Hughes also withdrew his name from the portal, giving the Cards much-needed depth in the wide receiver room.
Tight End:
Starter: Brody Foley
Backups: Jaleel Skinner, Justyn Reid
Depth: Julius Miles, Dylan Mesman
One of the Cardinals' biggest offseason moves was adding the Tulsa transfer, Brody Foley. The 6-foot-6, 260-pound tight end committed to Louisville as the No. 3 tight end in the portal after his massive season last year with the Golden Hurricanes, where he earned 37 catches for 528 yards and seven touchdowns. He is going to be a huge target for Kienholz and is expected to make an immediate impact on this Cardinals offense.
Backing Foley up will be Jaleel Skinner, who has the most catches, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns from any returning Cardinal from the 2025 season. Louisville also added Justyn Reid from the portal after losing Nate Kurisky, Davon Mitchell, and Grant Houser this offseason. Someone to keep an eye on is 4-star 2026 recruit Julius Miles. With high expectations coming into his true freshman season, Miles is someone who can climb up this depth chart.
Offensive Line:
Starters: Eryx Daugherty, Cason Henry, Lance Robinson, Evan Wibberley, Anwar O'Neal
Backups: Johnnie Brown III, Naeer Jackson, Sam Secrest, Jimmy Williams III, Jarvis Strickland
OL Depth: Bryten Close, Benjamin Corhei, Charles Edgeworth, Max Merz, Gradey Anthony, Tyler Folmar, Cameron Gorin
The Cardinals completely rebuilt their offensive line after losing multiple starters from the 2025 season. However, Louisville had a solid offseason rebuilding this unit as they will get Lance Robinson back, while also adding Boston College transfer Eryx Daugherty and South Carolina transfer Cason Henry. Daugherty committed to Louisville as the No. 8 interior offensive lineman from the portal, while Henry ranks No. 18 among offensive tackles from the portal.
Other key additions include Johnnie Brown III, Anwar O'Neal, and Evan Wibberley, as all three will fight for a starting spot. Wibberley transferred to Louisville as a true center, which is why we put him in the starting lineup, but Robinson has earned some reps at center in practice, and it wouldn’t be shocking if Brohm tries to move the key returner to his starting center, with Wibberley coming off the bench. But for now, the starting lineup looks like Wibberley at center, Daugherty at right guard, Henry at right tackle, and on the left side, Robinson and O'Neal.