Projecting Louisville Football's 2026 Two-Deep Depth Chart

With spring practice about to kick off, we take an early guess as to what the Cardinals' two-deep depth chart will look like for their season opener.

Louisville football players and mascot Louie | Jared Anderson - Louisville Report

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Spring practice for the Louisville football program is just around the corner. The Cardinals will officially kick off spring ball on Wednesday, Mar. 17, culminating with the annual spring game exactly one month later on Friday, Apr. 17 at 6:00 p.m. EST.

During this time, there are going to be a plethora of position battles, which will also carry over into summer workouts and fall camp. While there are still several months until year four of the Jeff Brohm era, 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 a 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: For the fourth year in a row, Louisville is going the portal route for their starting quarterback. While there are unknowns surrounding Kienholz given he was never been a starter at Ohio State, his talent level and athleticism could have massive potential. Wydner, who comes over from West Georgia, has a similar play style to him as well.

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. Add Marquise Davis, Braxton Jennings and Lekhy Thompkins, and the depth here is incredible.

Wide Receiver

1. Tre Richardson (5-10, 175, Sr.)
2. Montavin Quisenberry (5-10, 170, R-Fr.)

1. Lawayne McCoy (6-1, 175, Jr.)
2. Kris Hughes (5-11, 195, R-Jr.)

1. TreyShun Hurry (6-2, 195, R-Sr.)
2. Jackson Voth (5-11, 190, R-So.)

Quick Hit: Louisville might be losing their two best wide receivers to the NFL, but the position group still has some high upside. Richardson was one of the fastest and most prolific players in the SEC this past season at Vanderbilt, and McCoy had a breakout sophomore season at Florida State. There is some noticeable dropoff after those two, but Hughes and Hurry have shown flashes, and transfers like Quisenberry (Kentucky) and Voth (Drake) have high upside as well.

Tight End

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

Quick Hit: While the tight end position hasn't been a massive component in Brohm's offense since he arrived at Louisville, that could change in 2026. Foley is coming off of a fantastic season at Tulsa, and has true game-changing potential. Skinner also took a step forward in terms of his consistency last season, and is one of the more athletic players on the roster.

Left Tackle

1. Anwar O’Neal (6-5, 310, R-Jr.)
2. Johnnie Brown III (6-3, 315, R-Sr.)

Quick Hit: Louisville has a few options at blindside blocker after loading up on the offensive line in the portal, but O'Neal is likely the one to beat here. He was a two-year starter at Delaware, and drew a lot of SEC interest while in the portal. But considering Brown was a Third-Team All-Sun Belt pick last season, don't count him out, either.

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 well off at left guard as well. Daugherty was one of the most underrated linemen in the ACC last season, and was one of the Cardinals' top pickups in this portal cycle. Williams likely won't challenge for a starting spot on the line this season, but he did get his feet wet last season, and could be someone to watch in spring ball.

Center

1. Evan Wibberley (6-5, 305, R-Sr.)
2. Sam Secrest (6-5, 265, R-Sr.)

Quick Hit: With Pete Nygra exhausting his eligibility, there are some questions in the middle of the line. While Wibberley didn't play much last season at Kentucky, he did have a great 2024 season at Western Kentucky. Secrest makes his way back to Louisville after a two-year stint at Houston, but hasn't played a ton of in-game reps at this point.

Right Guard

1. Lance Robinson (6-4, 290, R-Sr.)
2. Naeer Jackson (6-6, 310, R-Sr.)

Quick Hit: Robinson is Louisville's most experienced returner on the line, allowing just one sack all season lone while playing three different spots. By virtue of the transfers brought in, he will likely slide in as their starting right guard. Jackson didn't play much last season after seeing others jump in front of him during fall camp, but he does have experience from his time at FIU.

Right Tackle

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

Quick Hit: Right tackle might be the most underrated position on the line for Louisville right now. Henry had a great start to his 2025 season at South Carolina, but that was derailed by a season ending injury. Additionally, Gorin cracked the two-deep last season as just true freshman after impressing during spring ball and fall camp.

Defensive End

1. Tyler Thompson (6-4, 240, R-Jr.)
2. Micah Carter (6-6, 255, R-Jr.)

Quick Hit: Louisville has great playmaking ability at the bookends of their defensive line, and that includes the true defensive end spot. Coming over from North Carolina, Thompson was one of the most underrated transfers in the ACC following a seven-sack season. Carter has been on the depth chart in his first few seasons, but has always had potential.

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 more up in the air after losing their top four players. Kennedy had a decent 2025 season with Purdue, and Donald didn't play at all in his lone season with Houston - although he did look good the season before at App State. Time will tell how the nose tackle spot fairs.

Defensive Tackle

1. Jerod Smith II (6-4, 275, Jr.)
2. Tommy Ziesmer (6-2, 295, R-Jr.)

Quick Hit: The defensive tackle spot has a little more upside than nose does. Smith played a lot of three-tech edge during his time at Kentucky, but has the capabilities to play on the inside - and could even thrive here. Ziesmer will have to make the FCS-to-FBS adjustment, but he had an extremely prolific season last year at Eastern Kentucky.

Leo (DE/LB)

1. Clev Lubin (6-3, 250, R-Sr.)
2. A.J. Green (6-6, 250, 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 his backup in Green had a career year in 2025, and has always had NFL-caliber upside.

Middle Linebacker

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

Quick Hit: T.J. Quinn is moving on after seeing his collegiate career end, but Clark is more than capable of leading the linebacking corps. While an ankle injury robbed him of most of his 2025 season, he's long proved his capabilities following his breakout 2024 season. Matelau is still waiting to make his collegiate debut, but he showed some good things in fall camp last season.

Weakside Linebacker

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

Quick Hit: Moving over to the weakside linebacker spot are two more capable 'backers. Capers stepped in as a starter following Clark's injury last season, and the former five-star prospect showed real growth as the season went on. Like Matelau, Carter also showed flashes in the offseason, and could be in line to take a step forward this year.

STAR (LB/S)

1. Antonio Watts (6-2, 225, R-Sr.)
2. Benjamin Perry (6-3, 210, R-Sr.)

Quick Hit: Lubin might be Louisville's best defensive player, but Watts is their most complete. Between his efforts in the box against the run and his capabilities when dropping back in coverage, he is the ultimate X-Factor on the defense. Perry, who briefly transferred to UCLA after losing his starting gig at STAR to Watts in 2024, is back to help the Cards - and he brings a lot of experience and knowledge to the table.

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. Santana Wilson (6-0, 175, R-So.)

Quick Hit: The cornerback spot will look a little different next season with two of their top three corners moving on, but there is still a lot to like here. Holloway will be CB1, as he did very well last season on a very high snap count. Transfers Waller (Kentucky) and Wilson (Texas) both have high potential due to their talent floor, and Scott (Elon) was productive last year. Also, don't count out true freshman Jaydin Broadnax to get early playing time.

Free Safety

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

Quick Hit: Moving to 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, but he'll be asked to take on a bigger role after being a rotational piece. Banks had a little more experience last season at Ole Miss, but was a lot more hit-or-miss. At the minimum, both have early SEC experience.

Strong Safety

1. Koen Entringer (6-3, 215, R-Sr.)
2. Blake Ruffin (6-3, 205, R-Sr.)

Quick Hit: At strong safety, there are a lot more definitives as to who will start here. Coming over from Iowa, Entringer was arguably Louisville's top defensive addition out of the transfer portal, as he is a difference maker in all areas of the field. As for his backup, Ruffin is a former FCS All-American, but he doesn't have much experience at this level. There's also Micah Rice and Jordan Vann, but both are freshmen.

Depth Chart Recap

Offense

QB: Lincoln Kienholz, Davin Wydner
RB: Isaac Brown, Keyjuan Brown
WR: Lawayne McCoy, Kris Hughes
WR: TreyShun Hurry, Jackson Voth
Slot: Tre Richardson, M. Quisenberry
TE: Brody Foley, Jaleel Skinner
LT: Anwar O’Neal, Johnnie Brown III
LG: Eryx Daugherty, Jimmy Williams III
C: Evan Wibberley, Sam Secrest
RG: Lance Robinson, Naeer Jackson
RT: Cason Henry, Cameron Gorin

Defense

DE: Tyler Thompson, Micah Carter
DT: Demeco Kennedy, Joshua Donald
NT: Jerod Smith II, Tommy Ziesmer
LEO: Clev Lubin, A.J. Green
MLB: Stanquan Clark, Caleb Matelau
WLB: T.J. Capers, Trent Carter
STAR: Antonio Watts, Benjamin Perry
CB: Tayon Holloway, Brycen Scott
CB: D.J. Waller, Santana Wilson
FS: Kaleb Beasley, Travaris Banks
SS: Koen Entringer, Blake Ruffin

(Photo via Jared Anderson - Louisville Cardinals On SI)

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