Where Louisville's Position Groups Rank in the ACC and Nationally

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Heading into year four under head coach Jeff Brohm, it's safe to say that expectations are moderately high for the Louisville football program. Between the impact playmakers they were able to retain, such as Isaac Brown and Clev Lubin, and the ones they were able to get out of the transfer portal, like Tre Richardson and Koen Entringer, the Cardinals have a great amount of talent from a position-by-position basis.

That being said, some position groups are certainly better than others. So how do they stack up against their ACC peers, and how do they compare when looked at from a national perspective?

Thanks to Phil Steele, we have answers to both questions. The long time college football expert released his annual College Football Preview magazine earlier this month, and as part of his ACC breakdown, he ranked each position group in the conference. Additionally, he also ranked each position group on a national level. From both perspectives, there was a lot that Steele liked from Louisville.

It shouldn't come as a surprise that, on the offensive side of the ball, Steele was the highest on Louisville's running backs. Not only did he rank the Cardinals' running back room as the best in the ACC, he ranked it as the third-best in the nation, behind only Missouri and Texas.

"Isaac Brown was an all-purpose revelation as a freshman, rushing 1,173 and catching 30 passes, Steele wrote. "Last year, he had 884 despite missing four games. Keyjuan Brown missed three games but was equally exciting with 704. With both healthy, they are an electric tandem."

As far as the other individual units on the offense go, Steele isn't quite as high on them, but he does still like their potential. He tabbed the Cardinals' group of receivers (wide receivers and tight ends) as the sixth-best in the ACC and 28th-best in the FBS, with UofL's offensive line being ranked No. 7 in the ACC and No. 35 nationally. The quarterback room ranks at just No. 11 in the league and No. 60 nationally, but this is mainly due to the fact that Lincoln Kienholz - who does have a high talent ceiling due to his athleticism - has never been a starter.

Put all these units together, and Steele thinks Louisville's offense can make some noise this season.

"For the first time here, Brohm has a quarterback that is a run threat as well," he wrote. "They do lose their top three wide receivers, but last year's offense was hindered by injuries to the top running backs, and their return to health should have this offense improved."

Moving over to the defensive side of the line of scrimmage, and Steele is much higher on the Cardinals here. The unit here that he's highest on is the secondary, ranking them at No. 3 in the ACC and 21st in the FBS.

"They return cornerback Tayon Holloway and add seven transfers including Koen Entringer, so they are in the same shape as last year and could be just as strong," he wrote.

But it's not just the defensive back that Steele likes on Louisville's defense. In fact, he ranked their defensive line, linebacking corps and secondary all as top-five units in the ACC and top-25 units nationally. UofL's linebacker room comes in at fourth in the conference and 21st nationally, while their defensive line was No. 5 and No. 22, respectively.

"My computer called for 351 yard allowed per game last season, but they were much better, allowing just 303 yards per game and holding foes to 76 yards per game below their average," Steele wrote. "This year, they have my No. 21 linebacking corps and return their top defensive lineman Clev Lubin and remain a solid group."

Louisville will kick off their 2026 season against Ole Miss on Sunday, Sept. 6 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.

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