Leaving: Duke Watson, RB
A season that started with incredibly high preseason expectations for sophomore Duke Watson ended with an injury-filled, disappointing 2025 campaign for the running back. All preseason, the talk was about how electric the tandem of Isaac Brown and Duke Watson would be for the Louisville offense, especially after the two running backs performed so well in the second half of last season. This hype was quickly derailed as Duke Watson suffered an early-season injury that had him sidelined for most of the season. Add to this that when Watson was able to see the field, he struggled and could not recapture the magic he had in his running game last season.
This will always be one player and season where the question “What could have been?” will be asked frequently. The running back tandem to watch ended up having Keyjuan Brown replace Duke Watson, where Brown excelled, as stated previously. It’s anticipated that Duke Watson will look elsewhere for a chance to have an incredible comeback season after the issues that persisted at Louisville this season. This may be a situation where it is best for both sides to simply move forward separately.