Burning Summer Questions for Louisville's Position Groups

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - There's no question that, as we head into year four of the Jeff Brohm era, the Louisville football program is once again generating a good amount of both local and national buzz. On top of being a near-consensus top-25 team, the Cardinals are being tabbed as a team that can potentially get to the College Football Playoff.

On top of this hype, there are also some questions to go along with it. Can they take advantage of a relatively easy conference schedule and get back to the ACC Championship Game? Are they able to avoid upsets to inferior teams like we have seen in Brohm's first three years? Are they *really* a threat to make the CFP?

While these are questions that have to do with the team as a whole, today, we will be taking each of Louisville's position groups, and looking at a top question/storyline regarding it as we progress through the summer and into the 2026 season.

Quarterbacks: How will Lincoln Kienholz fair in his first season as a starter?

From a talent and athleticism standpoint, there's no questioning Kienholz. A former top-150 prospect coming out of high school who spent the last three seasons at Ohio State, the Pierre, S.D. native's arm strength and mobility with his legs has never been a question, and that much was evident during spring ball for Louisville. That being said, he has minimal in-game experience up to this point considering he played behind Julian Sayin, Will Howard and Kyle McCord while with the Buckeyes. He's got the athletic intangibles to thrive, but we don't quite know how good he can truly be considering he's only ever played in garbage time.

Running Backs: Can the room stay relatively healthy?

Louisville's running back room might be one of the top position groups in the entire sport. Isaac Brown is one of the best players in college football, his backup in Keyjuan Brown would be a starter at most power conference schools, while Marquise Davis, Braxton Jennings and Lekhy Thompkins round out the room nicely. Seemingly the only thing that could hold this group back from their full potential is injury history. Isaac missed four games last season due to multiple lower body injuries (and was somewhat limited at times when he did play), while Keyjuan missed three. While they still excelled in spite of this, Louisville was down to their fourth and fifth string running backs by the end of the regular season.

Wide Receivers: What is Tre Richardson's ceiling now that he's fully healthy?

Coming over from Vanderbilt, Richardson was a massive offseason addition via the portal for Louisville. As one of the fastest players in the SEC, he caught 46 passes for 806 yards and seven touchdowns, while also returning 17 kickoffs for 427 yards. Amazingly, he did all this while playing with a bone spur in his foot/ankle that made taking cuts in his route running extremely painful, and he had surgery to have it removed this past February. Now that he can freely play without fear of pain, an already uber-talented and productive receiver has the potential to have an even better campaign this fall.

Tight Ends: Will Brody Foley be the difference maker at tight end that Louisville has been missing?

During Jeff Brohm's time at Western Kentucky and Purdue, impact tight ends like Tyler Higbee and Payne Durham were staples in his offenses. No offense to players like Mark Redman, Nate Kurisky and Jaleel Skinner, but Louisville hasn't had a go-to tight end in the passing game since Brohm took over. Brody Foley has the chance to be that guy. Coming off of a 2025 season at Tulsa where he caught 37 passes for 528 yards and seven touchdowns, the 6-foot-6, 260-pound Foley has the frame, athleticism and production to not only make a seamless transition to the power conference level - but be an All-ACC caliber player. The Cards aren't hurting on talent at the skill positions, but Foley could be the X-Factor that helps elevate that side of the ball to a top flight unit.

Offensive Line: How will injuries impact the early season efficiency up front?

Louisville lost a lot of starting experience from last season on their offensive line, but attacked the transfer portal hard, and - on paper - should be able to hold their own here. That being said, injuries are already starting to pop up. Projected starting left tackle Anwar O'neal got hurt midway through spring ball. While he will eventually return, this forced Lance Robinson - who was starting at center during the spring - to kick over to blindside blocker during the spring game. In turn, this elevates Evan Wibberley to starting center for the time being. Additionally, Cason Henry and Cameron Gorin went back-and-forth during spring ball at right tackle - primarily due to the former's recovering from a season-ending injury last year at South Carolina.

Defensive Line: Can the middle of the line keep pace with the edge?

Louisville has an embarrassment of riches at defensive end. Clev Lubin is one of the top returning edges in the sport, A.J. Green has NFL-level upside, Tyler Thompson was one of the most underrated defenders in the ACC last season, while Jerod Smith II has impact versatility. At defensive tackle, there are a lot more questions. Daylen Russell has the talent upside, but not much experience. Joshua Donald is coming off of a 2025 season where he didn't play at. Demeco Kennedy has the experience, but has been hit-or-miss at times. Tommy Ziesmer had a productive 2025, but is making the jump from the FCS level. Bailey Abercrombie and Dillon Smith are both coming off of true freshman campaigns. There's no question that the tackle spot isn't as prolific as the edges are, but this area of the line can't hold this unit back.

Linebackers: Which depth pieces will earn sizable roles in the rotation?

Louisville's starting linebacking corps is in a very good spot. Stanquan Clark is one of the best defenders on the team despite not playing much last season due to injury, T.J. Capers had a breakout season last year after earning more playing time due to the aforementioned's in jury, and Antonio Watts has been a multi-year X-Factor at STAR. As for who will be the go-to reserves here, that much isn't as clear. Trent Carter, Caleb Matelau and Cameron White have all shown flashes at some point during spring ball and fall camp, but no one has separated themselves from the others. Benjamin Perry came back after a brief stint at UCLA, but safety Blake Ruffin got more run at STAR in spring ball than he did.

Cornerbacks: Who will establish themselves as the second starter?

As far as CB1 goes, that role is already determined. Tayon Holloway is coming off of good 2025 season, and enters the upcoming 2026 season as one of the better corners in the ACC. As for the second starting sport (and even the nickel spot), it's still very much up in the air - but that's not a bad thing. Santana Wilson looked very good during spring ball and could have a breakout season. D.J. Waller has a good amount of experience under his belt. Brycen Scott was productive at the FCS level. Antonio Harris shined in spring ball at times as well. Even Jaydin Broadnax could earn early playing time because of his talent ceiling. Holloway will lock down one side of the field, but the competition to determine CB2 is far from settled.

Safeties: Can T.J. Banks and Kaleb Beasley take a step forward?

The back end for Louisville will sport one of their top defenders on them team. Coming over from Iowa where he was a captain, Koen Entringer will undoubtedly be a factor both around the LOS and deep in coverage. But the other two safeties in the projected primary rotation, T.J. Banks and Kaleb Beasley, aren't as proven. While the two both come from the SEC (Ole Miss and Tennessee, respectively) and have a good amount of experience, they were very up-and-down last season as far as their down-to-down performance. Entringer will be a boost at safety, but he can't do it all, meaning either Banks and Beasley will have to take positive strides in their respective games.

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