'26 DL Kevontay Hugan Decommits from Louisville

The defensive lineman is a top-500 prospect in the 2026 cycle, and had been committed since March.

Kevontay Hugan will be expected to make a defensive impact this season for Booker. | Mike Lang / Sarasota Herald-Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football program has generated a ton of momentum in recent weeks with the Class of 2026, but of course, not all news in recruiting is always good news.

Sarasota (Fla.) Booker defensive lineman Kevontay Hugan announced Wednesday that he has backed off of his verbal pledge to the Cardinals.

Hugan had been committed to the Louisville since late March, and was slated to take an official visit to campus this upcoming weekend. He's the third 2026 recruit to decommit from the Cards, joining Fort Myers (Fla.) HS offensive tackle Joel Ervin and Galloway (Oh.) Westland two-way prospect Emoni Smith.

Not having a prospect like Hugan in Louisville uniform certainly is a big blow. Per the 247Sports Composite, The 6-foot-2, 235-pound defensive end comes in as the No. 46 defensive lineman in the class, the No. 59 prospect in the Sunshine State, and the 431sr-ranked recruit in the nation.

One look at his stat line from the 2024 season, and you'll understand why he's so highly regarded. As a junior for Booker, Hugan put up a whopping 118 tackles, 36 of which were for a loss, as well as 18 sacks.

Louisville now sports an 16-man 2026 recruiting class following Hugan's decommittment.

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