Breaking Down Louisville's 2025 Early Signing Period

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A few days following their emphatic beatdown of Kentucky to cap off the regular season, the Louisville football program was able to parlay that momentum out onto the recruiting trail.

This past Wednesday marked the first day of the 2025 Early Signing Period, and the Cardinals were able to secure 19 Letters of Intent from their Class of 2026 high school commitments.

Who are the signees?

Offense

*QB Briggs Cherry (Highlights and Evaluation)
*RB Lekhy Thompkins (Highlights and Evaluation)
*WR Payton Cook (Highlights and Evaluation)
WR Marlon Harbin (Highlights and Evaluation)
*WR Gavin Waddell (Highlights and Evaluation)
*WR D.J. Williams (Highlights and Evaluation)
*TE Julius Miles (Highlights and Evaluation)
OL Bryten Close (Highlights and Evaluation)
*OL Benjamin Corhei (Highlights and Evaluation)
*OL Charlie Edgeworth (Highlights and Evaluation)
OL Max Merz (Highlights and Evaluation)
*OL Jarvis Strickland (Highlights and Evaluation)

Defense

*DL Sam Dawson (Highlights and Evaluation)
DE Jon Adams (Highlights and Evaluation)
*LB Brady Ballart (Highlights and Evaluation)
*LB/S Taj Powell (Highlights and Evaluation)
*CB Jaydin Broadnax (Highlights and Evaluation)
*CB Kris Brunson (Highlights and Evaluation)
*S Jordan Vann (Highlights and Evaluation)

*Early Enrollee

What were some of the top storylines?

While the majority of Louisville's high school recruiting efforts came during the summer and into the early goings of the fall, there still was a little bit of drama on the first day of the early signing period.

In light of USF head coach Alex Golesh leaving to take the job at Auburn, Benjamin Corhei opted to flip his commitment back to Louisville. They also tried to flip offensive lineman Tyreek Jemison away from Kentucky, but he actually instead flipped to Georgia.

Unfortunately, Louisville also found themselves on the other end. Defensive lineman Josiah Hope flipped to Purdue, while offensive lineman Krew Moledor has yet to officially sign his NLI with the Cardinals and is expected to flip himself.

Who is Louisville still targeting?

As a result of yesterday's action on the trail, we've very likely seen the last of Louisville's recruiting efforts in the 2026 high school cycle.

Don't completely rule out Louisville potentially adding more high school talent during the traditional Signing Day in February, but from here, expect them to almost exclusively focus on recruiting the transfer portal to address remaining roster needs for 2026. Especially since we don't yet know who plans on entering the portal after the bowl game.

Who was the best recruit to sign?

Going by the 247Sports Composite, Louisville signed two players with a rating of 0.9000 or greater: cornerback Jaydin Broadnax and tight end Julius Miles.

Broadnax was by far the Cardinals' top prospect in the class, coming in at No. 268 per the Composite - marking their highest-ranked signee in three years. It's easy to see why, as he logged 38 tackles, 12 pass breakups and an interception for a West Boca Raton team that went a perfect 15-0.

As the 335th-ranked prospect in the cycle, Miles was arguably even more productive than Broadnax was. He snagged 62 receptions for 1,176 yards and 12 touchdowns, and also logged seven carries for 14 yards but five touchdowns.

It's also worth noting that, at No. 371 in the nation and third highest in Louisville's class, is highly-regarded quarterback Briggs Cherry. This season, he has completed 70 percent of his passes for 2,388 yards and 24 touchdowns with no picks. He's helped lead Chattanooga (Tenn.) Baylor to the Division II Class AAA State Championship this weekend.

Where did Louisville excel in the Early Signing Period?

Ever since Brohm took the Louisville job, he has put an emphasis on recruiting the state of Kentucky. With the assistance of Vince Marrow, the 2026 cycle was their most successful one within the Commonwealth to date.

Louisville signed five players who were regarded as top-15 prospects in the state of Kentucky according to the 247Sports Composite. Over the past three cycles, Brohm and Co. has just signed a combined eight top-15 players in the state.

Of course, that number could have been a lot high. St. X linebacker Karsten Busch recently decommitted, Owensboro running back Evan Hampton flipped to Vanderbilt back in July and North Hardin defensive lineman Josiah Hope flipped to Purdue. Still, it was an otherwise successful cycle for Louisville when it comes to recruiting the state.

What positions do they need to hit next?

Considering Louisville has yet to see significant transfer portal defections, it's hard to say with absolute certainty what their top position of need is. That being said, a couple positions stand out.

For starters, the Cardinals are set to graduate their entire starting offensive line. While a couple key reserves come back, such as Jordan Church and Naeer Jackson, it goes without saying that Louisville needs to land a couple starting-caliber linemen in the portal.

Wide receiver and safety are two more areas that are expected to be an emphasis for Louisville once the portal officially open. At receiver, Chris Bell and Caullin Lacy both graduate, and the Cards need at least one alpha at the position. As for safety, well, UofL doesn't even have a two-deep's worth of scholarship players at the position.