No. 24 Louisville and its coach want more after third straight season with at least 9 wins

No. 24 Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — 2025 record: 9-4

Expectations

Tight losses turned an impressive start into yet another good but not great season for the Louisville Cardinals, and that's something coach Jeff Brohm intends to fix.

The Cardinals appeared primed to contend for the Atlantic Coast Conference championship with a 7-1 start highlighted by an upset at Miami, the eventual College Football Playoff championship runner-up. Mistakes and injuries contributed to a three-game skid, and three losses came by a combined seven points.

Still, Louisville won the Boca Raton Bowl to finish with nine wins for a third straight season and mid-pack in the 17-team ACC at 4-4.

That earned Brohm a contract extension through 2033 last spring. He hit the transfer portal hard again and landed another quarterback he hopes to develop into a productive starter. Lincoln Kienholz transferred after three years at Ohio State after completing just 11 of 14 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown last season.

Louisville has a mostly favorable schedule without a game with Miami, nemesis Clemson or Virginia. The 24th-ranked Cardinals will have to prove themselves immediately with the opener against CFP semifinalist Ole Miss on Sept. 6 followed by a visit from SMU two games later.

The Cardinals were picked to finish third behind Miami and SMU in a preseason poll of ACC media. They will play a nine-game conference schedule and 11 overall against Power Four teams.

Strengths start with a veteran backfield

Louisville has running back Isaac Brown back after gaining 884 yards and seven touchdowns despite missing three games with injuries. He has 2,057 yards and 18 TDs career yards in two seasons, and Brohm stresses that keeping him healthy is key for their prospects.

Keyjuan Brown (no relation) also returns after rushing for 704 yards rushing and six scores in 10 games. Both backs averaged at least 7.3 yards per carry last season and anchored the ACC’s fifth-ranked rushing attack (163.9 yards).

Former South Alabama offensive coordinator Paul Petrino is back for a third stint at Louisville, this time coaching tight ends after previously serving as coordinator (2003-06) and wide receivers coach (1998-99).

Weaknesses include defense needing playmakers

DL Clev Lubin (61 tackles, team-high 8.5 sacks) passed on the NFL draft to come back for a defense that ranked second in the ACC last season (303.1 yards per game). But as the only returnee among their top five tacklers last fall, he’ll need other veterans and transfers to raise their games.

DB Antonio Watts is back. He had a team-high three interceptions over four games early including one at Miami.

New faces

WR Tre Richardson (transfer from Vanderbilt); K Garth White (transfer from Rhode Island); TE Brady Foley (transfer from Tulsa).

Key losses

TE Nate Kurisky (Duke); QB Miller Moss (NFL), WR Chris Bell (third-round NFL draft pick by Miami), WR/KR Caullin Lacy (free agent, New York Jets).

Biggest games for the Cardinals

Vs. Mississippi (Sept. 6 in Nashville), vs. SMU (Sept. 19); vs. Florida State (Oct. 9), at Kentucky (Nov. 28).

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