Projecting Louisville Football's Post-Spring 2026 Two-Deep Depth Chart

With spring practice in the rear view mirror, we take an updated guess as to what the Cardinals' two-deep depth chart will look like for their season opener.

Louisville’s Jeff Brohm comes out before the game with a Browning Nagle’s #7 on against Louisville in the Spring Football game April 17, 2026 | Scott Utterback/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With spring practice in the rear view mirror for the Louisville football program, we now have a better idea as to who will start at what position than we did just before spring ball. We might be still be several months away from kickoff of the 2026 season, but it's never too early to take an educated guess as to who will start for the Cardinals when they take on Ole Miss for their 2026 season opener.

That being said, Louisville Cardinals On SI decided to take another shot at giving an early projection at the Cardinals' two-deep depth chart for the 2026 football season.

Quarterback

1. Lincoln Kienholz (6-2, 215, R-Jr.)
2. Davin Wydner (6-5, 225, R-Sr.)

Quick Hit: Kienholz will mark the fourth consecutive portal quarterback that Brohm will roll out as the starter. During the majority of the open spring practice sessions, the Ohio State transfer's arm strength and mobility was on full display, although his performance in the spring game was just okay. Wydner, who comes over from West Georgia, had a fantastic outing in the spring game, one which cements Louisville's depth at the position

Running Back

1. Isaac Brown (5-9, 190, Jr.)
2. Keyjuan Brown (5-10, 210, R-Jr.)

Quick Hit: Louisville's running back room is the strongest position group on the roster, and for good reason. Isaac Brown is one of the top overall players in the entire sport, and Keyjuan Brown is better than a handful of starters at this level. Additionally, Marquise Davis, Braxton Jennings and Lekhy Thompkins all had good showings during the course of spring ball.

Wide Receiver

1. Tre Richardson (5-10, 175, Sr.)
2. Jackson Voth (5-11, 190, R-So.)

1. Lawayne McCoy (6-1, 175, Jr.)
2. T.J. McWilliams (6-0, 190, R-Jr.)

1. TreyShun Hurry (6-2, 195, R-Sr.)
2. Jakob Dixon (6-4, 215, Sr.)

Quick Hit: Louisville's two-deep at wide receiver is looking a little different now than it was to start the spring, with Kris Hughes and Montavin Quisenberry done for the 2026 season. However, this position still has a lot of potential. Richardson might have had to miss the spring, but he was one of the fastest and most prolific players in the SEC this past season at Vanderbilt. McCoy had a breakout sophomore year at FSU, and put together a very good spring. Hurry seems to have taken a step forward as well, Voth was very consistent in the slot this spring, and Kienholz seems to have developed some chemistry with McWilliams.

Tight End

1. Brody Foley (6-6, 260, R-Sr.)
2. Jaleel Skinner (6-5, 230, Sr.)

Quick Hit: The tight end position hasn't been a massive component in Brohm's offense since he arrived at Louisville, but that could change in 2026. Foley had to miss spring ball due to a minor injury, but is coming off of a fantastic season at Tulsa and has true game-changing potential. Skinner became a more consistent player last season, and is one of the more athletic players on the roster. On top of that, Tulane transfer Justyn Reid showed in spring that he's not just a blocking tight end, and Julius Miles showed that he could be in line for a breakout true freshman season.

Left Tackle

1. Anwar O’Neal (6-5, 310, R-Jr.)
2. Lance Robinson (6-4, 290, R-Sr.)

Quick Hit: A two-year starter at Delaware, O'Neal was looking great as the first team blindside blocker during spring ball. However, he sustained an injury that will likely sideline him for the first few weeks of the season. For the spring game, Louisville went with Lance Robinson - their lone returning starter from 2025 - at left tackle after he spent most of it at center.

Left Guard

1. Eryx Daugherty (6-3, 305, R-Jr.)
2. Jimmy Williams III (6-4, 300, R-So.)

Quick Hit: Moving inside the line, Louisville is in a good spot at left guard. Daugherty was one of the most underrated linemen in the ACC last season, and put together a very good spring - one where he arguably established himself as the Cards' top lineman. Behind him, Williams might not challenge for a starting spot here, but he still put together a solid spring.

Center

1. Lance Robinson (6-4, 290, R-Sr.)
2. Evan Wibberley (6-5, 305, R-Sr.)

Quick Hit: Louisville didn't have a ton of options at center despite their overall depth on the line, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that Robinson - a do-it-all lineman last season - started spring ball at center, and looked great doing it. But after O'Neal went down, Wibberley stepped up at center for the spring game. While he didn't play much last season at Kentucky, he did have a great 2024 season at Western Kentucky.

Right Guard

1. Johnnie Brown III (6-3, 310, R-Sr.)
2. Naeer Jackson (6-6, 310, R-Sr.)

Quick Hit: Brown was a Third-Team All-Sun Belt tackles at Georgia Southern last season, but spent most of spring playing on the interior of the line at right guard. Barring more injuries or underperformance on the other four spots, he'll likely stay here after having a good spring. But don't count Jackson out, either. He didn't play much last season, but the former FIU transfer did get some first team reps at right guard in spring.

Right Tackle

1. Cason Henry (6-6, 310, R-Sr.)
2. Cameron Gorin (6-5, 270, R-Fr.)

Quick Hit: Right tackle was a two-man race all throughout spring ball - and maybe into the fall. Henry got a lot of the first team reps here, and for good reason given his play at South Carolina, but he's still in the process of recovering from his own injury. Gorin got a lot of first team reps in team periods because of this, and parlayed his impressive spring and fall last season into a standout spring this year.

Defensive End

1. A.J. Green (6-6, 250, R-Jr.)
2. Jerod Smith II (6-4, 275, Jr.)

Quick Hit: Louisville has fantastic depth at the bookends of their defensive line, and that includes the true defensive end spot. Green is coming off of a career year and a good spring, and with his NFL upside, he has the potential to explode. As for Smith, he played a lot of three-tech edge during his time at Kentucky, but he did play some on the interior during the spring.

Nose Tackle

1. Demeco Kennedy (6-2, 305, Jr.)
2. Joshua Donald (6-2, 320, R-Sr.)

Quick Hit: The interior of the D-line is a little up in the air given roster attrition and recent injuries, but there is some promise at nose tackle. Kennedy had an okay 2025 season with Purdue, but looked like he took a step forward in spring ball. That same could be said for Donald, who didn't play at all in his lone season with Houston last year. Recent JUCO addition Keon Webb could be in the mix here as well.

Defensive Tackle

1. Daylen Russell (6-3, 300, Fr.)
2. Bailey Abercrombie (6-3, 285, R-Fr.)

Quick Hit: With Jerod Smith II playing mainly on the edge in the spring and Tommy Ziesmer getting hurt, the depth at true DT isn't super ideal, but the cupboard isn't bare. Russell didn't play a ton at Miami, but he has very high upside because of his talent, and that was apparent in the spring. Abercrombie also seems like he has taken a step forward as well based on his play in the spring as well.

Leo (DE/LB)

1. Clev Lubin (6-3, 250, R-Sr.)
2. Tyler Thompson (6-4, 240, R-Jr.)

Quick Hit: If there's any position on this two-deep that better than running back, it's here at LEO. Coming off of a 13.5 TFL and 8.5 sack season for the Cards, Lubin is one of the best pass rushers in all of college football, and he could be even better this year. Not to mention Thompson was one of the most underrated transfers in the ACC following a seven-sack season at UNC.

Middle Linebacker

1. Stanquan Clark (6-3, 235, R-Jr.)
2. Caleb Matelau (6-1, 225, R-Fr.)

Quick Hit: Clark might have been significantly limited last season due to an ankle injury, but he appears to have put that completely in the past. He was back to his elite form in spring ball, and heads into the new season at one of Louisville's top defenders. Matelau is still waiting to make his collegiate debut, but his looked good in spring, especially when playing downhill.

Weakside Linebacker

1. T.J. Capers (6-2, 225, R-Jr.)
2. Trent Carter (6-3, 225, R-So.)

Quick Hit: Over at the weakside linebacker spot, Capers is ready to become a full-time starter. He stepped up his play when Clark went down last season, and the former five-star prospect looks ready to flourish in a permanent starting role. Behind him, Carter showed good consistency in the spring, and could be in line to have a breakout season as a rotational linebacker.

STAR (LB/S)

1. Antonio Watts (6-2, 225, R-Sr.)
2. Blake Ruffin (6-3, 205, R-Sr.)

Quick Hit: Between his efforts in the box against the run and his capabilities when dropping back in coverage, Watts is the ultimate X-Factor on this defense. But since he is still recovering from his season-ending injury last year, that paved the way for Blake Ruffin - who is making the position change from true safety - to get the starting reps at STAR, and he looked good doing it. Don't count out Benjamin Perry in this rotation as well.

Cornerback

1. Tayon Holloway (6-1, 190, R-Sr.)
2. Brycen Scott (5-11, 185, Jr.)

1. D.J. Waller (6-3, 205, Sr.)
2. Antonio Harris (6-0, 180, R-Fr.)

Quick Hit: There's a lot of moving pieces at cornerback, but there's a lot to like at this position. Holloway was CB1 last season, and continued to show that in spring. Waller was typically opposite of him during spring ball, and showed that when healthy, he can be an impact guy. Scott, a transfer from Elon, seems like he is ready for the FCS-to-FBS jump given how he faired in spring, and Harris has taken a big time step forward. Also, expect Texas transfer Santana Wilson to get plenty of playing time in the corner rotation as well.

Free Safety

1. Kaleb Beasley (6-2, 200, Jr.)
2. T.J. Banks (6-3, 200, Jr.)

Quick Hit: In the back end of the secondary, the free safety spot is a little bit in flux. Beasley was good in spurts for Tennessee last season, and does seem to have taken a step forward in terms of consistency. With Banks, he's got a little more overall experience coming from Ole Miss but was a lot more hit-or-miss, though he was decent in the spring.

Strong Safety

1. Koen Entringer (6-3, 215, R-Sr.)
2. Micah Rice (6-2, 200, R-Fr.)

Quick Hit: At strong safety, there are a lot more definitives here. Coming over from Iowa, Entringer was arguably Louisville's top defensive addition out of the transfer portal, and he was a menace in the box during the course of spring ball. Rice likely won't be asked to play a ton, but he showed flashes up his upside in the spring. Another name to watch here is true freshman Jordan Vann, who might be one of the hardest hitters on the team already.

Depth Chart Recap

Offense

QB: Lincoln Kienholz, Davin Wydner
RB: Isaac Brown, Keyjuan Brown
WR: Lawayne McCoy, T.J. McWilliams
WR: TreyShun Hurry, Jakob Dixon
Slot: Tre Richardson, Jackson Voth
TE: Brody Foley, Jaleel Skinner
LT: Anwar O’Neal, Lance Robinson
LG: Eryx Daugherty, Jimmy Williams III
C: Lance Robinson, Evan Wibberley,
RG: Johnnie Brown III, Naeer Jackson
RT: Cason Henry, Cameron Gorin

Defense

DE: A.J. Green, Jerod Smith II
NT: Demeco Kennedy, Joshua Donald
DT: Daylen Russell, Bailey Abercrombie
LEO: Clev Lubin, Tyler Thompson
MLB: Stanquan Clark, Caleb Matelau
WLB: T.J. Capers, Trent Carter
STAR: Antonio Watts, Blake Ruffin
CB: Tayon Holloway, Brycen Scott
CB: D.J. Waller, Antonio Harris
FS: Kaleb Beasley, T.J. Banks
SS: Koen Entringer, Micah Rice

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(Photo of Jeff Brohm: Scott Utterback - Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images(