Louisville Cracks ESPN's 2025 Way-Too-Early Top 25

The Cardinals went 9-4 in year two under head coach Jeff Brohm.

Louisville Cardinals wide receiver Chris Bell (0) celebrates his touchdown during their game against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024 at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium in Louisville, Ky. | Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Little streams of confetti are probably still falling from the roof of Mercedes-Benz Stadium following Ohio State's 34-23 win over Notre Dame in the national championship, but it's never too early to start looking towards next season.

As soon as last night's championship game went final, the folks at ESPN posted their Way-Too-Early Top 25 for the 2025 season. On it, the Louisville football program rounded out some of the final spots in the poll, coming in at No. 20.

Ohio State, Texas, Penn State, Notre Dame and Georgia round out the top five, while Clemson at No. 7 and SMU at No. 15 are the only ACC schools ranked higher than Louisville.

"The Cardinals lost four games for the second straight season under Jeff Brohm, but there's no question the 2024 campaign could have been much better," ESPN's Mark Schlabach wrote. "Louisville dropped three games by seven points -- against Notre Dame, SMU and Miami -- then somehow lost at Stanford 38-35 on Nov. 16. Brohm landed former USC quarterback Miller Moss to lead the offense, and (Isaac) Brown is a blossoming star after breaking Lamar Jackson's freshman rushing record with 1,173 yards to go with 11 touchdowns.

"The offensive line should be a strength, even after left tackle Monroe Mills transferred to Virginia. The Cardinals have added 20 players from the portal to shore up both sides of the ball, including top defensive end Clev Lubin (Coastal Carolina), linebacker Darius Thomas (Western Kentucky) and cornerback Jabari Mack (Jacksonville State)."

As Schlabach noted, Louisville has a good combination of returning talent and incoming playmakers for the 2025 season. Among some of the top players are running back duo Isaac Brown and Duke Watson, wide receiver duo Caullin Lacy and Chris Bell, plus linebacker duo T.J. Quinn and Stanquan Clark.

While the Cardinals have lost 18 players to the transfer portal so far, they countered that with a 20-player haul in the winter portal window, bringing in several impact players. This includes USC quarterback Miller Moss, Coastal Caroline edge rusher, and FIU safety JoJo Evans.

Related: Louisville Football 2024-25 Transfer Tracker

Louisville finished the 2024 season, their second under head coach Jeff Brohm, with a 9-4 overall record including a 35-34 win over Washington in the Sun Bowl. The Cardinals have posted back-to-back seasons of nine-plus wins for the first time in a decade.

(Photo of Chris Bell: Clare Grant - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK)

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