Louisville football zeroes in on Kentucky’s No. 2 recruit as 2027 recruiting heats up

Louisville football had one of the best offseasons via the Transfer Portal, ranking as high as No. 5 in the nation for its dominant portal surge. Jeff Brohm continues to be a lethal duo in recruiting, and now they will turn to the 2027 recruiting class.

College football fans should expect their favorite teams to pick up the recruiting for the 2027 class now that the portal chaos has concluded. Louisville fans can expect Brohm and Marrow to heavily recruit these next few months, especially in the state of Kentucky.

The Cardinals recently earned a historic commitment from Allen Evans, who ranks sixth in program history. So with Louisville already earning the state’s No. 1 recruit in the 2027 class, they quickly turn to the state’s No. 2 recruit in Malachi Brown.

Related: 3 elite Kentucky natives who could follow Allen Evans to the Louisville Cardinals

Louisville football visits elite 4-star 2027 DL

Evans is the unanimous No. 1 overall recruit, ranking as high as No. 39 in the 2027 recruiting class, and after Brown is the dominant 6-foot-4, 265-pound defensive lineman. The Cardinals have shown a lot of interest in Brown, as Marrow and Brohm have emphasized that they want to dominate the state of Kentucky and earn commitments from elite recruits.

So, with Brown becoming the Cardinals' No. 1 target, they recently amped up their recruiting for the 4-star recruit as Brohm and Marrow visited Brown earlier this week.

The Cardinals are expected to be in a fierce recruiting battle for Brown, as the unanimous 4-star has already received over 20 offers, including from Kentucky, Alabama, Ohio State, Indiana, Miami, and Tennessee.

The Cardinals are among the few teams that have already received a visit, earning an unofficial visit in November 2025. Alabama, Nebraska, and Ohio State also received unofficial visits, and Tennessee has already hosted two unofficial visits from Brown, including one this past October, according to 247Sports.

Brown ranks as high as No. 100 overall and No. 11 among defensive linemen in the 2027 recruiting class. He also ranks as high as the No. 2 recruit out of Kentucky after he collected 66 total tackles, including a dominant 62 solo tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, and eight sacks. On top of that dominant stat line, he added a forced fumble and recovered two fumbles.

Louisville will look to jump the Wildcats as Kentucky has the slight edge over Louisville, according to On3 Sports. Kentucky is given a 25.4 percent chance of earning Brown’s commitment, while Louisville is right behind them at 22.3 percent. Brohm and Marrow making a trip to the Corbin native is a good start to try to earn his commitment in these crucial recruiting months, and now, Louisville will just hope to hear some good news.

For all the latest recruiting news and updates for Louisville football, stay tuned.