The Cardinals enter the 2026 season with high expectations, as Louisville is ranked in the preseason AP Poll for the first time since 2017. Jeff Brohm has Louisville football trending in the right direction since he arrived, and this year he might have his best team yet since joining the Cardinals.
Louisville’s offense is loaded with potential, with 4-star transfers including Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz, and on defense they return multiple stars from last season, like preseason All-American Clev Lubin. However, the group that continues to stand out is this running back room.
There is a lot of hype surrounding this running back room, and Isaac Brown recently talked about the ceiling for this group, and he made it clear with an electric five-word message.
Louisville's running back room has high expectations
The Cardinals' running back room is led by their two returning stars, Isaac Brown and Keyjuan Brown. Joining the two stars will be redshirt freshman Braxton Jennings and true freshman Lekhy Thompkins, along with 4-star transfer from Missouri Marquise Davis. This group is loaded with talent and potential, and when Isaac was asked about this special unit, he expressed, “the sky is the limit” for this running back room.
“I mean, the sky is the limit,” stated Brown in a recent press conference. “We got Braxton, Marquise, and Lekhy, and I feel like these boys can really go out and put on a show for anybody against any team.”
Isaac is the star of the group, coming off a dominant season where he rushed for 884 yards on just 101 carries, while averaging 8.8 yards per carry. Brown had a historic freshman season, breaking Louisville’s true freshman rushing record with 1,173 yards on 165 carries and 7.1 yards per carry.
After Isaac, Keyjuan is expected to be the RB2 of the group. Keyjuan took a huge leap this past season, taking full advantage when Isaac and Duke Watson were injured. Keyjuan averaged 7.3 yards per carry this past season while rushing for 704 yards. In his final five games, Keyjuan rushed for 94 yards or more, including his final three games where he rushed for 136, 135, and 112 yards.
Then Davis, Jennings, and Thompkins round out the unit. Davis is a 4-star transfer and a former 4-star recruit after he rushed for 3,800 yards and 58 touchdowns in his final two seasons in high school. The Cardinals have high expectations for all five running backs, as this unit is expected to be the team's biggest strength.
This running back team is trending as a top-five running back room in the country, as PFF ranked it No. 5 in the country and CBS Sports ranked it No. 4. Isaac and Keyjuan are poised to have a breakout season for the Cardinals and if those two can stay healthy and play a full year, not only is the sky is the limit for the RB room, but for this Louisville football team.
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