Louisville football’s season is quickly approaching, and the Cardinals fans have a lot to look forward to. Despite what the Coaches Poll was, the Cardinals are trending as a top-25 team in the nation, as Joel Klatt ranks them No. 19 and ESPN’s Greg McElroy ranks them No. 23 in the nation.
When looking at Louisville’s squad, there is a lot to get excited about. The Cardinals have a new quarterback from the Transfer Portal for the fourth straight year, have added three 4-star receivers, and have brought back key defenders, including preseason All-American Clev Lubin. However, one specific group stands out from the rest: the running back room.
The Cardinals' running back room continues to get a lot of praise this offseason, and Pro Football Focus is the latest media outlet to shine a bright light on this special group.
PFF just gave Louisville's RB room the praise they deserve
Louisville football has ACC Title dreams and has a real chance to reach the ACC Championship game, and the biggest reason is this running back room. This eye-popping group is expected to be one of the best running back units in the country, and Pro Football Focus just proved that.
PFF is a trusted college football platform with over 400-thousand followers on X (formerly Twitter). They recently ranked the top running back units in the nation, and, unsurprisingly, the Cardinals are ranked in the top 10, coming in at No. 5.
Top 10 Running Back Rooms in College Football🔥
— PFF College (@PFF_College) August 12, 2026
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Louisville’s running back unit ranks No. 1 in the ACC, according to PFF, as they are just ahead of Miami, which ranks No. 8. The Cardinals' running back room is, of course, led by the preseason All-American Isaac Brown, who is expected to be one of the top running backs in the country.
Brown is coming off an impressive season in which he averaged a dominant 8.8 yards per carry, rushing for 884 yards on just 101 carries. In the eight full games he played in, he rushed for over 100 yards in six of those games, including a dominant game against Boston College where he secured 205 rushing yards on just 14 carries, averaging an impressive 14.6 yards per carry.
Also, part of this running back unit is Keyjuan Brown and Marquise Davis. Brown is coming off an impressive season in which he took a major leap while Isaac and Duke Watson were out with injuries. Brown rushed for 7.3 yards per carry and 704 yards in his sophomore season.
Brown rushed for 94 yards or more in his last five games this past season, including the final three games where he ran for a dominant 136, 135, and 112 yards. As for Davis, the 4-star transfer is a former 4-star recruit out of high school. He transfers to Louisville from Missouri and enters with high expectations, having rushed for 3,800 yards and 58 touchdowns in his final two seasons in high school.
The Cardinals' running back room continues to get a lot of praise and hype this offseason, and now fans are just hoping it stays healthy all season. The Cardinals have CFP dreams this season, and if this room can stay healthy and be dominant, as many think it can, Louisville can emerge as a real threat in the ACC.
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