Louisville football has been on an absolute tear in July, but Jeff Brohm and Vince Marrow received the biggest gut-wrenching punch yet. One of the Cardinals' top commitments shocked the entire Cardinals staff and fans early Tuesday morning when Evan Hampton announced he would flip his commitment from the Louisville Cardinals to the Vanderbilt Commodores.
This massive blow to Louisville comes as a huge surprise, as Hampton is a Kentucky native and has been verbally committed to Louisville since March 18. The Cardinals have lost some big-time commitments already in the 2026 class, but this is their biggest loss yet.
Hampton is ranked as the top in-state recruit by 247Sports and Rivals and is the No. 2 recruit in the state of Kentucky by On3 Sports. The 6-foot-0, 208-pound running back was ranked as the Cardinals' top commitment by Rivals, as he is ranked No. 171 in the 2026 cycle. He was the fourth-highest commitment by 247Sports, ranked No. 338 in the nation.
⚓️ @CoachMuh_Lank @Coach_Lea pic.twitter.com/VTlFJgKwn5
— Evan Hampton (@Evanhampton34) July 15, 2025
Related: Louisville football makes a massive splash with 4-star RB commitment
Louisville football loses top recruit to Vanderbilt
Brohm and Marrow have been cooking all of July, landing multiple 4-stars and many elite 3-stars, and were hoping the hot streak would reel in more recruits. Now, this gut-wrenching punch throws a wrench in all of that.
Losing their top recruit to a small SEC school is not ideal for Brohm and his Cardinals. Hampton attends Owensboro High School, where he rushed 1,609 yards and 20 touchdowns last season. He also added 16 catches for 107 yards and four receiving touchdowns. His stats only become more impressive when combined, as in three years, he rushed for 3,284 yards and 51 touchdowns.
The Cardinals have now lost eight commitments, and six of them were 4-star recruits. Louisville is now down to 21 commitments in the 2026 class and ranks as high as No. 31 in the nation.
Related: Elite 4-star commit gives Louisville football gut-wrenching update after Purdue visit
For all the latest on Louisville football's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.