Louisville Football 2025 Season Preview

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The long and tortuous offseason is almost over, and the 2025 college football season is just around the corner. Week Zero gets underway this Saturday, with most programs in Division I returning to the gridiron next weekend. For the University of Louisville football program, they are gearing up for their third season under head coach Jeff Brohm.

Year two under Brohm didn't see the Cardinals get back to the ACC Championship Game or crack double digit wins, but it was still a mostly successful season. The Cardinals wound up finishing at 9-4 overall, which included snapping lengthy losing streaks to both Clemson and Kentucky, as well as Brohm's first bowl win at his alma mater - a 35-34 victory over Washington in the Sun Bowl.

Heading into year three of the Brohm era, optimism still remains that Louisville can have another successful season. On one hand, the Cardinals did lose a fair amount of playmakers to the NFL Draft and the transfer portal. On the other, Cardinals still retain 16 players that logged at least one start from last season. While Brohm and UofL aren't bringing in the No. 1 portal class like they had in the last two offseasons, they still landed plenty of impact transfers. Their efforts in high school recruiting are kicking up a notch as well.

Combine that with Brohm's reputation as a head coach, and Louisville has some somewhat high expectations. The Cardinals might be unranked heading into the new season unranked, but they are still regarded as a fringe top-25 squad. They've even been generating some national buzz when it comes to potentially earning a spot in the College Football Playoff.

So what does all this likely mean for the actual on-field product this season? Let's dive in and break it all down:

A Look at the Offense

At this point in time, it's well-established as to what's Brohm's forte is as a head coach considering he was quarterback in his playing days: offensive firepower, with a speciality in high-flying passing attacks. Following a down 2023 campaign from the offense by Brohm's gaudy standards, 2024 was a return to form on that side of the ball.

By the end of the year, Louisville finished with the No. 13 total offense (449.2 YPG) and No. 9 scoring offense (36.5 PPG), with a passing offense that ranks 26th nationally (264.1 PYPG). This was primarily due to a resurgent season from Texas Tech transfer QB Tyler Shough, who was one of the three recipients for the Comeback Player of the Year Award.

Shough would go on to be drafted No. 40 overall by the New Orleans Saints in the 2025 NFL Draft, meaning that Louisville will be sporting a different starting quarterback for the third year in a row under Brohm. This time, it's USC transfer Miller Moss taking over the reigns.

Moss spent the first four years of his collegiate career with the Trojans, and was their starter last season. He started the first nine games of the year, completing 64.4 percent of his passes for 2,555 yards and 18 touchdowns to nine interceptions. Of course, most Louisville fans remember him from the 2023 Holiday Bowl, where he threw for 372 yards and a bowl-record six touchdowns against the Cards in what was his first collegiate start.

While Moss might not have the arm strength and NFL upside that Shough has, that's more of an indictment on Shough than Moss. During the course of spring ball and fall camp, Moss' poise and ability to command the offense was regularly on display. He has elite accuracy, pocket presence and on-field leadership.

However, there are some slight concerns with Moss, primarily stemming from the fact that he was benched for the final three games of USC's regular season. While he was more so of a scapegoat for the Trojans' bigger problems as a whole, he wasn't exactly perfect over his final month as a starter when it came to decision making - and this is something that did come up a couple times in fall camp.

Of course, Moss did still finish the 2024 season averaging 283.9 yards, which was No. 1 in the Big Ten and would have been good for eighth in the FBS had he qualified nationally. He has the potential to thrive in a pro style offense, and is surrounded by a very good supporting cast on that side of the ball.

At wide receiver, the Cardinals have one of the best tandems in the ACC, anchored by preseason All-ACC selection Chris Bell. He's coming off of a career year, catching 43 passes for 737 yards and four touchdowns. On top of that, Bell looked the part of an NFL-caliber receiver in fall camp, with his body control, route running and physicality once again taking another step forward.

Bell will occupy one of the two outside spots, while Caullin Lacy will be in the slot. While a collarbone injury and subsequent redshirt limited his production and efficiency last season, he still has All-ACC potential. He was one of the most prolific receivers in the sport back in 2023 during his final year at South Alabama, and his burst off the line and overall shiftiness remains top tier.

As for the third starting receiver spot, there are a few options. Antonio Meeks has had a stellar spring and fall after redshirting last season following his transfer from D2 Tuskegee. TreyShun Hurry (SJSU) and Dacari Collins (NC State) were added in the spring portal window, and both had some good moments in camp. Though Brohm's offenses have always had a "feed the studs" approach, so expect Bell and Lacy to get most of the targets.

Over at tight end, there are a few options Louisville has at their disposal - although one is certainly standing out over the others. Despite being super quiet over the last two seasons, Jaleel Skinner has made tremendous progress in terms of his consistency and reliability in the spring and fall. He has a good blend of athletic traits, and has a high ceiling as a former blue-chip prospect.

But even though Brohm-led offenses typically fare the best when they have a bona fide TE1, expect Nate Kurisky and Jacob Stewart to get in the mix as well. Kurisky has been an under-utilized veteran during his time as a Cardinal, and Stewart was added in the spring portal window from San Jose State, and started to flash some good things towards the end of camp.

While Louisville figures to have a very good passing game in 2025, their rushing game will likely be among the best in the nation. Why? Because they feature two of the best running backs in the entire sport.

For starters, Isaac Brown exploded onto the scene as a true freshman last season. 1,173 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns later, the ACC Rookie of the Year is a top-2/3 running back in all of college football, and figures to be even better for his sophomore campaign.

But what's better than one true freshman standout? How about two? Despite not getting double digit snaps until the final month of the 2024 season, Duke Watson still ran for 597 yards and seven scores. His 8.91 yards per carry led the nation, and he was arguably Louisville's top performer in fall camp.

These two started the 2024 season at third and fourth on the depth chart, which is why Louisville "only" posted the No. 33 rushing offense (185.2 RYPG) in the FBS. But with those two coming back, and you add three serviceable depth pieces in Keyjuan Brown, Shaun Boykins Jr. and Jamarice Wilder, the Cardinals could wind up with a rushing offense that is among the best at the power conference level.

If there was any concern with the offense, it's likely on the offensive line. While Louisville ranked 17th and 18th nationally in sacks and tackles for loss per game allowed last season, advanced stats suggest the line was nothing more than average last year. Per Pro Football Focus, the Cardinals' pass block grade of 67.2 ranked 72nd nationally, while their 65.1 run block grade was 57th.

This is a unit that does lose some experience up front, although returners center Pete Nygra and left guard Lance Robinson stood out in fall camp. Guys like transfers Makylan Pounders, Mahamane Moussa, Naeer Jackson and Jordan Church; as well as returners Trevonte Sylvester and Rasheed Miller rotated fairly often at the other three spots.

Something of note with the offensive line durign fall camp: the first team unit, regardless of who was in, routinely performed at a high level. However, there was a significant drop off to the second team unit. Depth is a bigger question mark here than it was in the spring, and Louisville can ill afford injuries to either Nygra or Robinson.

In-Depth Pre-Fall Camp Offensive Position Breakdowns:

A Look at the Defense

While Louisville wound up getting much better production out of their offense than many expected, on the other side of the line of scrimmage, their defense wound up being incredibly disappointing given the talent on the roster. Hampered by communication issues and an inability to contain the big play, the Cardinals finished with the No. 64 total defense (368.7 YPG) and No. 56 scoring defense (24.1 PPG) in the FBS.

On top of that, Louisville lost a bunch of longtime defensive veterans, such as Ashton Gillotte and Quincy Riley. As such, the bulk of the questions regarding the Cardinals for the 2025 season involve the defense. But while Louisville is without question going to be led by their offense, there's also the possibility that the defense won't be the anchor many expect it to be.

In the trenches, the defensive line - which was perceived as one of the best in the nation at this time last year - got off to an incredibly slow start. But despite losing guys like Gillotte, Ramon Puryear, Dezmond Tell and others, this area of the field has some real promise.

On the line, Louisville has the most potential on the edges. Coastal Carolina transfer Clev Lubin was the Cards' top portal pickup, having logged 12.0 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks and three forced fumbles last season. While he was slow to get going in the spring, his twitchy and explosive nature eventually got going in the fall.

He's not the only edge rusher to watch out for. Wesley Bailey has had an underrated career up to this point while at Rutgers, and he has been a consistent force this offseason. Adonijah "A.J." is someone who is teeming with NFL potential, and seems to be ready to take that next step. Even guys like Justin Beadles and Micah Carter had standout moments in camp.

The middle of the line isn't as deep, but it does have few very capable players. Rene Konga and Jordan Guerad were two players that were limited by injuries last year, but when they did see the field, they had very under-the-radar impacts. Transfers Jerry Lawson (Abilene Christian) and Denzel Lowry (Old Dominion) were top flight tackles at their previous spots, and the latter in particular has looked good this offseason.

Right behind the line, the linebacking corps for Louisville is the best defensive unit for the Cardinals. In fact, behind Clemson and Pitt, Louisville has one of the best linebacker rooms among the remaining 15 teams in the ACC.

Stanquan Clark has a breakout season in 2024, logging 76 tackles, eight for loss, two picks and two forced fumbles. He's an incredibly athletic and versatile defender, excelling at both defending the run and pass, and has an arguement to be Louisville's top defensive player.

Next to him is T.J. Quinn, who led Louisville in tackles (82) for the second year in a row. While he is a tried and true commodity against the run, his efforts against the pass still leave some to be desired. In fact, pass coverage was a big time Achilles heel for the linebacking corps, although there seems to be some improvement in this area judging by how they looked here in the offseason.

At inside linebacker, expect a couple other guys to rotate here as well. T.J. Capers could be in line to have a breakout season like Clark had last year as the go-to reserve inside 'backer. While Kalib Perry missed most of fall camp with a hand injury, the Tennessee transfer looked solid in the spring.

Over at the STAR position, which is a linebacker/safety hybrid, Antonio Watts could be the X-Factor for the entire team. In his first season as a starter, he had a career year (51 tackles, seven for loss, 4 pass breakups), and carried that momentum into the offseason. The only issue here is that depth is a valid concern. Nigel Williams took some snaps here, but he only just arrived about a month before fall camp.

Then we have the secondary, which was by far the most disappointing unit on the entire team last year. Combine their under performance with struggles in pass coverage by the linebackers, and Louisville posted the 100th-ranked passing defense, allowing 236.2 passing yards per game.

Add in the fact that the Cardinals lose four of their top five cornerbacks and their starting safety tandem, and naturally, there are plenty of questions surrounding this area of the field. But based on the efforts in fall camp, combined with quotes from the coaching staff during this time, and the secondary could be well be in line for a bounce back.

Louisville's CB1 will be Rodney Johnson Jr., who came over from Southern via the portal. Despite being an FCS transfer, Johnson has put together showings in spring ball and fall camp that would make think he is an All-ACC candidate. Fellow transfer Jabari Mack (Jax State) posted a solid fall camp and will likely be the starter opposite of Johnson, while returner Rae'mon Mosby and true freshman Antonio Harris have looked good in spurts this offseason.

Over at safety, the Cardinals have a very good three-man rotation. FIU transfer JoJo Evans played a little timid at first this offseason, but the All-Sun Belt defender's aggressive nature really turned on late in fall camp. D'Angelo Hutchinson had a breakout 2024 as the go-to reserve on the back end, and has settled well into his new role as a starter. Baylor transfer Corey Gordan Jr. made several plays in fall camp as well, and was an underrated asset for the Bears last season.

In-Depth Pre-Fall Camp Defensive Position Breakdowns:

A Look at the Special Teams

Following a down showing in 2023 from the special teams unit as a whole, Louisville took a step forward in department. While there were still some areas to be desired, such as punting, limiting opponent's field position and blocking kicks was something that the Cardinals specialized in last season.

However, Louisville will be rolling out both a new placekicker and punter, and a lot of the special teams stalwarts from last season have moved on. That being said, special teams seemed to be a massive emphasis for Louisville in fall camp.

At placekicker, it boils down to Cooper Ranvier vs. Nick Keller. The latter has more years on the former, but neither play has seen much in-game experience. Additionally, Ranvier seemed to be the one that had the most kick power and consistent accuracy during the open fall camp practices.

As far as punting goes, expect Carter Schwartz to be the guy here. He was given a handful of punts last season, but when Brady Hodges hit the portal after the regular season, Schwartz slid in. While his consistency was shaky at times in fall camp, he undoubtedly had the most juice behind his kicks out of all the punters in practice.

Then with the punt and kick returners, Louisville has been experimenting with different players this offseason. I'd still expect Lacy and Bobby Golden to be the go-to punt and kickoff returners, respectively, but guys like Meeks, Collins and Antonio Harris also got some run as well during camp.

Bottom Line

In the preseason, Louisville was voted to finish fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference race. However, this is a team that does have the potential to become a contender for the conference title.

That being said, the biggest obstacle to getting back to Charlotte, or clinching a double-digit win season, is their top-heavy schedule. The Cardinals have to play the top three teams in the league in Clemson, Miami and SMU, and the latter two are on the road. Not to mention that their road trips to Pitt and Virginia Tech won't be easy.

Sure, the The bottom seven games on the schedule are very doable, and all of them are home games. However, Brohm always seems to have one game per year where he loses to an opponent that he shouldn't (Pitt in 2023, Stanford in 2024). If Louisville does have legitimate ACC title aspirations, not only do they have to knock off a couple of the heavyweights in the conference, but Brohm has to finally buck this long-established trend of his.

In terms of what to expect from this team from a win/loss standpoint, depending on how things shakes out, the most likely result is an 8-4 or 9-3 campaign. Like it or not, there are a handful of questions at a few positions that could ultimately hold them back from a truly special season.

But could Louisville go above and beyond that mark? Absolutely they can, if it all comes together. The Cardinals have incredible talent at their offensive skill positions, and their defense seems to be trending upwards. If the dominoes fall the right way, they could establish themselves as an ACC or College Football Playoff contender.

A Look at the Offense

A Look at the Defense

A Look at the Special Teams

Bottom Line

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