The countdown to kickoff has Cameron White at No. 38, and Louisville has every reason to be intrigued by what comes next.
White, a 6-foot-1, 235-pound linebacker from Tampa, Fla., is listed as a redshirt freshman and already looks like a player the Cardinals want involved in the middle of the defense. He arrived with plenty of attention, and not the kind that comes easy. ESPN ranked him as a Top 30 linebacker, and his offer sheet included defending champ Indiana, Michigan, Miami, and more than half the SEC programs across the South.
That kind of recruiting win mattered for Jeff Brohm and his staff, but what matters now is what White is starting to do with it. He got an early jump on building his college body, and the word coming out of spring was that he was already working his way onto the two-deep at middle linebacker, sitting behind TJ Capers.
Capers, now a junior, is the player White was compared to in terms of profile: a highly touted linebacker who chose Louisville over bigger-name programs and showed up ready to make noise. White fits that same mold, and the Cardinals are hoping he can grow into a similar kind of impact piece.
There were already signs last season that the staff trusted him. White saw action at linebacker against EKU and UK, and even in limited snaps, he was given chances to go make plays as a freshman. He also logged time on special teams, which should help keep him on the field more often this fall.
The expectation here is pretty clear: White should show up regularly in the middle of the defense in 2025. And if he takes the next step, Louisville may have another linebacker who can turn heads fast.
In Other News...
Louisville Just Got The ACC Respect Cardinals Fans Wanted
Louisville got a healthy dose of preseason respect from ACC media, with junior running back Isaac Brown and senior edge Clev Lubin landing on the 2026 All-ACC Preseason Football Team. Brown and Lubin give the Cardinals the kind of recognition that usually follows proven production, and it comes with Louisville already sitting near the top of the league conversation in the preseason media poll.
Browns inclusion is especially notable after he flashed big-play ability last season despite missing time, while Lubins presence reflects the kind of disruptive edge play Louisville will need if it wants to stay in the conference race. The Cardinals were picked third in the ACC, behind Miami and SMU, and Brown even finished third in preseason player of the year voting, a sign that Louisville is being viewed as more than just a dark horse this fall. [Read more 🡒]
Jeff Brohm Has Louisville Closer Than Ever To Program History
Jeff Brohm has spent the offseason giving Louisville more of the pieces it needs to turn a good program into a historic one. The Cardinals brought in more than 32 transfers, headlined by starting quarterback Lincoln Kienholz and receiver help in Tre Richardson and Lawayne McCoy, while the backfield still looks loaded behind Isaac Brown and Keyjuan Brown after both flashed last season. It is the kind of roster churn that usually comes with a reset, but in this case it has only sharpened the sense that Brohm is trying to push the program into a new tier.
The schedule may end up being just as important as the talent haul. Louisville is drawing plenty of attention because 2026 sets up favorably, with analysts already circling the Cardinals as a team with a real shot at its first College Football Playoff berth. The path is there, the roster looks deeper than it has in years, and the only question now is whether Brohms group can turn all that promise into the kind of season that changes the programs ceiling for good. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Fans Just Got An Encouraging Sign From De'Shayne Montgomery
Louisvilles first exhibition offered a useful early look at how the new pieces might fit, and DeShayne Montgomery wasted little time making his case. The Dayton transfer gave the Cardinals a steady scoring punch while also handling the ball and helping set the tone in a dominant tune-up that gave the staff plenty to like heading toward the season.
Montgomerys performance mattered not just because he filled the box score, but because it came in a setting where Louisville was trying to sort out roles and rotations. With Flory Bidunga also flashing inside in the win, the Cardinals got an encouraging reminder that their newcomers can impact the game in different ways, even if the bigger question now is how those early signs translate once the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]