Louisville football has had a phenomenal offseason so far as the Cardinals continue to dominate the Transfer Portal and build one of the best rosters in the ACC. The Cardinals are coached by Jeff Brohm, who has a 40-28 record with the Team, including a road win at No. 2 Miami at the time, which went on to compete for a National Championship.
The Hurricanes fell short last night as Carson Beck threw an interception on the final drive, and the Indiana Hoosiers won their first National Title ever. So, with the 2025-26 season in the rearview mirror, everyone is quickly turning the page and looking towards the 2026 season. Louisville is coming off its second straight 9-4 season after defeating Toledo in the Boca Raton Bowl, but this offseason has a different vibe than last year's.
ESPN recently put out a way-too-early Top 25 after the Hoosiers defeated the Hurricanes in the National Championship, and when Louisville fans see where the Cardinals are ranked, it proves they are in a prime position to make their first-ever College Football Playoffs.
ESPN's way-too-early rankings put Louisville football right where they belong
ESPN put Louisville No. 14 in the nation in its way-too-early rankings, proving this Cardinals team is poised to have one of the best seasons in a long time. Louisville has gone 9-4 across the last two seasons, and in Brohm’s first season, they went 10-3 and lost in the ACC Championship game to Florida State.
But ESPN ranking the Cardinals No. 14 in the nation proves Louisville has had one of the best offseasons in the country, putting them in a prime position to make a run for their first ACC Title and CFP berth.
"Jeff Brohm will be back for a fourth season at his alma mater after his name was linked to seemingly every big-time coaching search. Brohm's teams went 28-12 in the first three seasons, and it seems like the Cardinals are slowly building to make a big move in the ACC. Kienholz was the No. 13 dual-threat quarterback in the Class of 2023 and threw 36 passes in two seasons with the Buckeyes. The Cardinals lost their top two receivers in Bell and Lacy. Richardson was one of the fastest players in the SEC, and McCoy caught 27 passes for 396 yards at FSU. Getting tailback Isaac Brown back from the transfer portal was paramount. The Cardinals will have to rebuild their offensive line, and there are replacements coming for the defensive front as well."Mark Schlabach
Louisville’s offseason moves have put the Cardinals right where Brohm wants to be. They prioritized the trenches by keeping Clev Lubin and AJ Green, while adding Tyler Thompson from UNC, who earned seven sacks last season. And then they added elite offensive lineman Cason Henry and Eryx Daugherty.
Outside of the trenches, the Cardinals found a way to make massive splashes by landing elite receivers in Tre Richardson and Lawayne McCoy, an elite safety in Koen Entringer, and multiple former 4-stars in QB Lincoln Kienholz, running back Marquise Davis, and safety Kaleb Beasley.
But Brohm’s biggest offseason moves were recruiting from within and bringing back key players in Clev Lubin, AJ Green, TJ Capers, Stanquan Clark, Isaac Brown, Keyjuan Brown, Lance Robinson, and others. Brohm has built one of his best rosters at Louisville, and it might be his best.
Louisville being ranked No. 14 puts this team not only in a perfect position to make a run towards that coveted ACC Title, but to make a run in the College Football Playoffs. The other ACC teams ranked in these rankings is Miami at No. 8 and SMU at No. 17.
Related: Who's coming and who's going: Louisville football 2026 Transfer Portal tracker
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