Phil Steele Projects Louisville Football's 2026 Depth Chart

The Cardinals kick off their 2026 season in just under three months.

Louisville Football head coach Jeff Brohm looks over his teams during open practice. March 18, 2026 | Michael Clevenger/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The countdown to kickoff is in full swing. In 85 days, the Louisville football program will be kicking off year four of the Jeff Brohm era, heading down the Nashville, Tenn. for a neutral site and likely ranked ranked matchup vs. Ole Miss at Nissan Stadium.

Every preseason, long time college football expert Phil Steele releases his annual College Football Preview magazine. Earlier this month, the 2026 edition of his preview magazine was officially published.

On top of you standard preseason discussion points, such as All-Americans and top-25 polls, Steele also includes projected depth charts as part of his detailed breakdowns for all 138 FBS teams. While many depth chart projections crafted by various outlets come mostly from educated guesses, Steele's comes directly from one-on-one conversations with the program's head coach. This included Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm, whom Steele was able to chat with last month.

While there will likely be some shuffling on the depth chart when fall camp rolls around this upcoming August, below is Steele's projected depth chart for the Cardinals:

*denotes walk-on

Quarterback

1. Lincoln Kienholz (6-2, 215, R-Jr.)
2. Davin Wydner (6-5, 225, R-Sr.)
3. Briggs Cherry (6-4, 215, Fr.)
4. Ryan Zimmerman (6-6, 225, R-So.)

Running Back

1. Isaac Brown (5-9, 190, Jr.)
2. Keyjuan Brown (5-10, 215, R-Jr.)
3. Marquise Davis (6-0, 215, Fr.)

Wide Receiver

1. Tre Richardson (5-10, 175, Sr.)
2. Jackson Voth (5-11, 190, Jr.)
3. Marlon Harbin (5-11, 190, Fr.)
4. Kris Hughes (5-11, 200, R-Jr.)

1. TreyShun Hurry (6-2, 195, R-Sr.)
2. T.J. McWilliams (6-0, 190, R-Jr.)
3. Gavin Waddell (6-0, 180, Fr.)
4. Montavin Quisenberry (5-10, 180, R-Fr.)
5. Elizjah Lewis (6-2, 195, Sr.)

1. Lawayne McCoy (6-1, 175, Jr.)
2. D.J. Williams (6-1, 180, Fr.)
3. Rhys Dorsey (5-11, 195, Fr.)
4. Jakob Dixon (6-4, 215, Sr.)

Tight End

1. Brody Foley (6-6, 260, R-Sr.)
2. Jaleel Skinner (6-5, 230, R-Sr.)
3. Justyn Reid (6-5, 260, Sr.)
4. Dylan Mesman (6-5, 240, R-So.)

Left Tackle

1. Anwar O’Neal (6-5, 310, R-Jr.)
2. Cameron Gorin (6-5, 295, R-Fr.)
3. Charlie Edgeworth (6-7, 320, Fr.)

Left Guard

1. Eryx Daugherty (6-3, 310, R-Jr.)
2. Tyler Folmar (6-6, 315, R-Fr.)
3. Max Merz (6-4, 310, Fr.)
4. Ben Corhei (6-5, 300, Fr.)

Center

1. Lance Robinson (6-4, 295, Gr.)
2. Evan Wibberley (6-5, 305, R-Sr.)
3. Sam Secrest (6-5, 300, R-Sr.)
4. *Ellis McAdoo (6-6, 295, R-So.)

Right Guard

1. Johnnie Brown III (6-3, 310, R-Sr.)
2. Naeer Jackson (6-6, 310, R-Sr.)
3. Jimmy Williams III (6-4, 300, R-So.)
4. *James Glover-Tyson (6-6, 325, R-Jr.)

Right Tackle

1. Cason Henry (6-6, 300, R-Sr.)
2. Jarvis Strickland (6-6, 295, Fr.)
3. Gradey Anthony (6-5, 295, R-Fr.)
4. Bryten Close (6-6, 300, Fr.)

Defensive End

1. A.J. Green (6-6, 250, R-Jr.)
2. Jerod Smith II (6-4, 270, Jr.)
3. Micah Carter (6-6, 265, R-Jr.)
4. Eric Hazzard (6-3, 255, R-Fr.)

Nose Tackle

1. Joshua Donald (6-2, 310, R-Jr.)
2. Daylen Russell (6-3, 300, R-So.)
3. Dillon Smith (6-4, 285, R-Fr.)
4. Sam Dawson (6-3, 300, Fr.)

Defensive Tackle

1. Demeco Kennedy (6-3, 305, Jr.)
2. Tommy Ziesmer (6-2, 300, R-Jr.)
3. Bailey Abercrombie (6-3, 285, R-Fr.)

Leo (DE/LB)

1. Clev Lubin (6-3, 260, R-Sr.)
2. Tyler Thompson (6-5, 245, R-Jr.)
3. Maurice Davis (6-4, 250, So.)

Middle Linebacker

1. Stanquan Clark (6-3, 240, R-Jr.)
2. Trent Carter (6-3, 225, R-So.)
3. Caleb Matelau (6-1, 225, R-Fr.)
4. Brady Ballart (6-2, 225, Fr.)

Weakside Linebacker

1. T.J. Capers (6-2, 225, R-Jr.)
2. Cameron White (6-1, 235, R-Fr.)
3. Jacob Smith (6-4, 235, R-So.)
4. Taj Powell (6-2, 235, Fr.)

STAR (LB/S)

1. Antonio Watts (6-2, 225, R-Sr.)
2. Ben Perry (6-3, 215, R-Sr.)

Cornerback

1. Tayon Holloway (6-1, 190, R-Sr.)
2. Myles Norwood (6-2, 190, R-Sr.)
3. Santana Wilson (6-0, 180, R-So.)

1. D.J. Waller (6-3, 210, Jr.)
2. Antonio Harris (6-0, 180, R-Fr.)
3. Jaydin Broadnax (6-3, 190, Fr.)
4. Brycen Scott (5-11, 195, R-Jr.)

Free Safety

1. Kaleb Beasley (6-1, 200, Jr.)
2. T.J. Banks (6-2, 205, Jr.)
3. Kris Brunson (6-2, 190, Fr.)
4. *Anderson Mitchell (6-2, 190, R-So.)

Strong Safety

1. Koen Entringer (6-2, 215, R-Sr.)
2. Blake Ruffin (6-3, 205, Gr.)
3. Micah Rice (6-2, 200, R-Fr.)
4. Jordan Vann (6-1, 200, Fr.)

Kicker

1. Garth White (6-3, 206, Gr.)
2. *Carson Hilbert (6-3, 215, R-Fr.)
3. Nick Keller (6-1, 200, R-Sr.)

Punter

1. Jacob Baker (6-2, 215, Jr.)
2. *Adam Winkenhofer (5-10, 195, R-So.)
3. *Bode Shoaps (5-10, 160, Fr.)

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(Photo of Jeff Brohm: Michael Clevenger - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)