Analyzing Louisville's Biggest Remaining 2027 Recruiting Needs

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - We're in the midst of official visit season for the Class of 2027, and so far, the Louisville football program is in a good spot in the cycle. They've landed four commitments since the calendar flipped to June, and their 2027 class ranks as high as the No. 27 class in the nation.

That being said, Louisville isn't quite done yet. The Cardinals are in a good spot as far as numbers in the class go, holding 19 public verbal commitments, and they're in the mix for a handful of others. On the other side of that coin, 23 scholarship players are entering their final year of eligibility, but when you take into account the early entrants into NFL Draft - as well as players lost to the transfer portal - that number is sure to be much higher.

Head coach Jeff Brohm has placed a massive emphasis on the transfer portal during his time with the Cardinals, and it's expected that he will do the same once the 2026 season comes to an end. That being said, high school recruiting has become a bigger focal point over the last year or so (thanks in part to Vince Marrow), so what are some of their biggest remaining needs in the class?

Let's take a look at their 2027 high school recruiting class by position below, then analyze where the Cardinals need to go from here.

Offense

Incoming Prospects

QB: None
RB: Justice Hardy, A.J. Tillman Jr.
WR: Chuck Alexander, Ja'Hyde Brown, Brooklyn Maxey
TE: Xavier Ratica, D'Angelo White
OL: Kyson Mallard

Players Entering Final Year

QB: None
RB: None
WR: Jakob Dixon, TreyShun Hurry, Elizjah Lewis, Tre Richardson
TE: Brody Foley, Justyn Reid, Jaleel Skinner
OL: Johnnie Brown III, Cason Henry, Naeer Jackson, Anwar O'Neal, Sam Secrest, Lance Robinson, Evan Wibberley

Defense

Incoming Prospects

DT: Sebastian Blue, Jesiah Fields, Cornelius Tims III
DE: Munir Lewis
LB: Josiah Pouncy, Darrian Tomlin
CB: Allen Evans IV,
S: Jordan Haskins, Keontay Toomer

Players Entering Final Year

DT: Joshua Donald
DE: Clev Lubin
LB: Stanquan Clark, Benjamin Perry, Antonio Watts
CB: Tayon Holloway, Myles Norwood
S: Koen Entringer, Blake Ruffin

We'll begin on the offensive side of the ball, starting at quarterback. While it's an overhauled room thanks to the portal, Lincoln Kienholz is the first transfer QB under Jeff Brohm to have multiple years of eligibility - two to be exact. Then you add in the fact that Briggs Cherry will likely slide right in when Kienholz's time in college is done, and quarterback isn't a massive need right now. That being said, Louisville is still targeting in-state QB Dre'Mail Carothers, so the depth here has a chance to get even better.

Louisville isn't slated to lose any running backs to graduation, but they've done their homework here. Isaac Brown is almost certainly going to declare for the 2027 NFL Draft after the upcoming season, and therein lies a world where Keyjuan Brown could do the same. Getting Hardy and Tillman in the fold already is a great preemptive measure.

At wide receiver, how much work Louisville still needs to do here fully depends on who they can hold onto. Brown is fully on board, but Alexander and Maxey have at least entertained other schools despite being committed. Regardless, they're still slated to lose two projected starters in Richardson and Hurry (plus two others), so from purely a numbers perspective, UofL needs at least one more. Especially if someone like Lawayne McCoy explodes and contemplates leaving early for the draft.

Moving to tight end, this is another spot where Louisville likely could use at least one more commitment, as their top three players on the depth chart here all have just one year left. Julius Miles has breakout potential written all over him as a true freshman, and White could be an immediate impact player too, but for depth purposes - it wouldn't hurt to add one more.

The offensive position group that undoubtedly needs to be addressed most right now is offensive line. Louisville has seven linemen heading into their final year, and they have just one commit here in Mallard. That being said, the only other lineman on UofL's radar right now is Ryan Moore, so Brohm and Co. will likely restock the line via the portal again like they have every offseason up to this point.

Let's move over to the defensive side of the ball now. On the line, while they only have one more year of Lubin left, Louisville is in good shape from a numbers perspective. They're only set to lose two linemen to graduation, and are currently bringing in four. It also helps that a couple of these guys have some position ambiguity to them.

Right now, linebacker is the biggest remaining defensive need. They're set to lose three guys here, and it could be up to four if T.J. Capers has a breakout season that his five-star talent could help him reach. Caleb Matelau and Cam White should be able to take steps forward by 2027, and Pouncy is a phenomenal talent, but the Cardinals probably need one or two more linebackers.

Then in the secondary, Louisville is in relatively decent shape here. They're in line to lose four defensive backs to graduation, most notably Entringer and Holloway, but have three DB commits so far - with Evans and Haskins being two of their best commits in the class. Louisville could use at least one more DB here from a numbers perspective, but they have been working hard to flip Jemari Foreman from Florida State, so that could get addressed soon.

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