5 Louisville Players Ole Miss Fans Need to Know

The Ole Miss Rebels head to Nashville, Tennessee, this September to face the Louisville Cardinals, in what should be an exciting non-conference matchup.

The Cardinals possess electrifying talents all over the field, especially in the backfield, where their quarterback/running back duo is one of the most exciting in the nation, and should provide an ample test for Pete Golding's defense.

With that in mind, here are five players all Ole Miss fans should have on their radar for this neutral site matchup.

RB - Issac Brown

Louisville Cardinals running back Isaac Brown reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Virginia Tech Hokies | Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

If there is any player on the 2026 Louisville roster, Ole Miss fans should be aware of its running back, Issac Brown. Brown in 2024 as a freshman, ran for 1,173 yards on 165 carries, scoring 11 times. He earned himself ACC Offensive Rookie of the year, ACC Rookie of the year and second-team all-ACC Honors.

In 2025, Brown suffered a late-season lower-leg injury against Virginia Tech. Despite the injury his season up until that point was phenomenal, rushing 101 times for 884 yards and seven scores. Brown is an explosive back with elite top-end speed. Last year, before the injury, he averaged 8.8 yards per carry, which was the best in the nation.

QB - Lincoln Kienholz

Kienholz in spring ball — Louisville’s Lincoln Kienholz throws the ball against Louisville in the Spring Football game April 17, 2026 | Scott Utterback/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Kienholz is a 6-foot-2, 215-pound quarterback, a big man for the QB position. For comparison, Tom Brady was 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, and regarded as the best quarterback of all time. At Ohio State, he sat behind Julian Sayin, who led the Buckeyes to the CFP appearance and the No. 2 team in the country.

Sitting behind a great QB with amazing coaches and the frame of an elite quarterback, Kienholz has all the tools to be a successful quarterback. Jeff Brohm, Louisville head coach, runs an “air raid” type offense, spreading the field out and tossing it deep. If all fails, Kienholz can always hand the ball off to star running back Issac Brown.

WR - Tre Richardson

Vanderbilt Commodores wide receiver Tre Richardson runs with the ball against the Iowa Hawkeyes | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

With the departure of star wide receiver Chris Bell, who was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 2025, Tre Richardson, a Vanderbilt Commodore transfer, has all the tools to be the next Bell for the Cardinals. In 2025 for Vanderbilt, Richardson totaled 806 yards and 46 receptions, scoring seven times.

Richardson has all the tools to be the number one deep ball threat for new transfer QB Lincoln Kienholz. With the vertical threat and crazy speed of Richardson, all signs point to a new WR1 in town.

DB - Koen Entringer

Entringer running off the field for the Hawkeyes — Iowa Hawkeyes defensive back Koen Entringer (4) runs onto the field during senior recognition Nov. 22, 2025 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Koen Entringer was a standout defensive back for the Iowa Hawkeyes. The core last season was ranked the third-best defense in the BIG10, just behind Ohio State and Indiana, and was number one in scoring defense, averaging 16.1 points per game.

Entringer, a veteran presence was a key piece for the Hawkeyes success last season on defense and lots of people were shocked with his departure in the transfer portal. In 2025, the Junior had 73 total tackles, 43 by himself, forcing a fumble, recovering a fumble and four pass deflections. Entringer stands at 6-foot-1, 211 pounds, and will be a key piece to an already good Louisville defense.

RB - Keyjuan Brown

Louisville Cardinals running back Keyjuan Brown runs the ball against the California Golden Bears | Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

If you recall back at the top of this article, I mentioned that all Rebel fans should be familiar with running back Issac Brown. Unfortunately for Ole Miss fans, there is another guy at the running back position that is just as dominant, if not better. Keyjuan Brown is a senior running back who split carries with Issac Brown. While Issac Brown was averaging 8.8 yards a carry last season, Keyjuan Brown was averaging 7.3 yards a carry, third most in the nation behind his teammate.

These two splitting carries are a scary sight for any defense, especially one that was up and down against the run like Ole Miss was in 2025. The Rebels gave up just under five yards per carry to opponents last year and 149 yards per game on the ground. If Ole Miss wants to walk away from Nashville with a victory, both running backs need to be shut down and force Kienholz to throw the ball.

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