On3 Sports first way-too-early Top-25 will have Louisville football fans furious

Louisville football has earned 29 commitments this offseason and is ranked as high as No. 4 in the nation for all they have accomplished. Jeff Brohm and Vince Marrow have had a masterclass of an offseason so far, as not only have they landed elite playmakers from the Transfer Portal, but they avoided losing a significant player from the 2025 season.

Cardinals fans are stoked for the college football season, and despite it being the middle of January, the buzz around the city right now is about Brohm and his football team. Louisville fans truly believe Brohm has built a team that can contend, as they have an elite defensive line and linebackers, added one of the best safeties in the portal, and on offense have one of the best running back rooms in the nation, added an elite SEC wide receiver, and a former 4-star quarterback.

On paper, when fans are looking at the roster, they believe this team can contend for the ACC Title. Well, On3 Sports just put out their way-too-early College Football Top-25, and Louisville fans feel like they were incredibly disrespected and slapped in the face by these rankings.

Louisville football disrespected in way-too-early Top 25 rankings

On3 Sports just put out their first way-too-early rankings, and the Louisville Cardinals are nowhere to be found. In order from top five, it's Ohio State, Georgia, Texas, Notre Dame, and Indiana. Then Miami comes in ranked No. 9 as the first ACC team, and Virginia Tech is the only other ACC team ranked No. 23.

The Cardinals finished last season 9-4, and when looking at everyone, they are bringing back plus everyone they added this offseason, it is quite confusing how they can’t crack the top 25. Louisville will have an experienced and dominant defense, featuring three of the best edge rushers in the ACC, as they have Clev Lubin, AJ Green, and Tyler Thompson. They were able to keep their three stars at the linebacker position in Stanquan Clark, TJ Capers, and Antonio Watts, and added Benjamin Perry for some depth.

And in its secondary, they added Koen Entringer, who ranked No. 11 among safeties in the portal and was All-Conference last season, along with former 4-star recruit Kaleb Beasley and Ole Miss transfer TJ Banks.

As for the offense, this team should be one of the most explosive in the ACC, maybe even the nation. They added two experienced veterans to their offensive line in Eryx Daugherty and Cason Henry, and gained depth with the additions of Anwar O'Neal and Johnnie Brown III. Louisville also has one of the best running backs in the nation in Isaac Brown and one of the best running back rooms in the nation with Keyjuan Brown and Marquise Davis joining Isaac Brown.

And on the outside, the Cardinals added elite 4-star Vandy transfer Tre Richardson and 4-star Florida State transfer Lawayne McCoy. And the Cardinals QB1 for next season is set to be Ohio State transfer and former 4-star recruit Lincoln Kienholz.

So, this team is loaded with key returning players, but has also added elite playmakers from the Transfer Portal, and for that reason, seeing them miss the top 25 is just mind-boggling.

It is just their way-too-early rankings, but the Cardinals missing out on the top 25 certainly feels like they're already being overlooked and disrespected for next season. But like Jeff Brohm said at the beginning of last season, the Cardinals have to play from start to finish, and “we’ll be judged on how we do at the end of the season.”

Related: Who's coming and who's going: Louisville football 2026 Transfer Portal tracker

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