Louisville football has been buzzing in recruiting news as of recent for the class of 2026, and Jeff Brohm and his Cardinals has their eyes all in on the prize for 2026.
Louisville football recruiting is about to escalate in coming weeks, they will host many recruits this spring. Jeff Brohm and his staff will have a lot at hand, but if they can land some major names and land a few 4-stars, then this program will prove they are the real deal in the ACC.
Louisville has offered many four and five-star recruits offers, but obviously most of them are a long shot. So, here we plan to lay out the top three prospects that Louisville football have a legitimate shot of landing on the defensive side of the ball.
3 Louisville football defensive player must-get 2026 prospects
Here are the top three recruits from the class of 2026 that Louisville football must land and committ to Cardinals nation.
3. Kasmir Hicks
Kasmir Hicks has cut his list down to five schools, as one of nations top-50 cornerbacks and is 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds out of Indianapolis, IN.
He is ranked the 45th best cornerback in nation of the 2026 class, according and is also utilized on special teams. Hicks main position is CB, but he has shown potential all over the field, as he had 54 catches for 945 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. He even rushed as well, as he had 46 carries for 479 yards and five touchdowns.
Hicks secured 32 tackles, two forced fumbles, five interceptions, two pass break ups and found the end zone on two plays.
As for his special teams, he had seven kickoff returns for 334 yards and even returned two of them back to the end zone in his Junior season.
2. Jayden McGregory
Jayden McGregory currently goes to Valley High School, and is a highly-recruited unanimous 4-star skill position prospect out of Des Moines, Ia. Louisville football also recently just made the defensive star top 8.
McGregory has set up two official visits so far, and Louisville is one of those schools. On3 has him ranked 189 nationally, 10th in his skill position, and No. 2 from Iowa, as for 247Sports, they have him ranked 159 nationally, 11th in ATH, and No. 2 from Iowa as well.
In McGregory Junior season he recorded 20 tackles, including one for a loss, and added 13 pass defections with three interceptions on top of all that. One of those interceptions was taken back for six, and he added 506 all-purpose yards as he demonstrated his athleticism on the offense and special teams as well.
1. Malik Morris
So, everyone can dream right? This one is kind of a long shot, but Malik Morris is a unanimous 4-star recruit out of Lakeland, Fla.
Morris is a 6-foot-1, 225-pound linebacker who plays at Lakeland High School, and has all the skills to make it to the NFL. He is a top-15 linebacker in the class of 2026, and is ranked 225 nationally, and 27th in the state of Florida, according to 247Sports.
Morris is an absolute force on the defensive side as he had 95 tackles, 9 sacks and 3 forced fumbles in 2024. He also added five rushing touchdowns on offense.