Clev Lubin has become the kind of edge rusher who changes the math for an offense before the ball is even snapped. Louisville knows it, and so does anyone who watched what he did last season.
The Cardinals’ star defender arrived in 2025 after a winding path that included four programs in five years. He redshirted at Army in 2022, won an NJCAA national championship at Iowa Western in 2023, then posted 9.5 sacks in 10 games at Coastal Carolina in 2024 before proving he could do the same damage against Power Four tackles.
That final test went about as well as Louisville could have hoped. Pro Football Focus credited Lubin with 64 quarterback pressures last fall, the sixth-most in the FBS and the most by any Cardinal since the site began grading players in 2014.
Then came Jan. 2, the first day of the transfer portal window. Lubin posted "#L1C4...run it back" on social media, and the suspense was over.
He was staying put, and that decision loomed larger for Louisville’s 2026 outlook than any transfer Jeff Brohm added afterward. It’s why Lubin lands at No. 15 on this list of college football’s most important players.
His first season in the ACC backed up the hype. Lubin started all 13 games and finished with 61 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and five pass breakups.
The sack total tied for fourth in the conference and ranked 25th nationally, while the tackles for loss placed seventh in the league. He also picked up third-team All-ACC honors and an All-ACC Academic nod.
The play that best captured his impact came in Week 2 against James Madison. Lubin beat the tackle, strip-sacked Alonza Barnett III in the end zone and set up an A.J. Green recovery for a touchdown in a 28-14 win.
He finished the regular season strong, too, putting up three tackles for loss, two sacks and two hurries against Kentucky. Asked in September why the move from the Sun Belt looked so smooth, the 6-foot-3, 250-pound end gave a brutally simple answer.
"Truthfully, I just think it's because I'm a baller," Lubin said.
Hard to argue with that when a defender is forcing offensive coordinators to rebuild protection plans every week. Speed numbers can be debated. Production like Lubin’s, across two different conferences, is a lot harder to dismiss.
His return also came at a delicate time for Louisville. Green, running back Isaac Brown and defensive back Antonio Watts had all indicated they planned to transfer, and defensive coordinator Ron English had stepped away from the program to watch his son's final season at Navy.
Soon after Lubin’s announcement, Brown and Watts withdrew from the portal, and Green also pulled his name out despite interest from Ole Miss, SMU and Texas A&M.
"Definitely took a lot of thinking, especially with the opportunity to go to NFL," Lubin said in March.
Brohm responded to English’s departure by promoting Mark Ivey and Steve Ellis to co-defensive coordinators, a setup that works best when the roster can absorb the change. Louisville has that kind of buffer because Lubin is on the edge. He anchors a pass-rush group that also includes Green, North Carolina transfer Tyler Thompson and Kentucky transfer Jerod Smith II, whom Ivey clearly trusts.
"We got a bunch of guys who can rush the passer," Ivey said during spring ball.
For Louisville, it all starts with Lubin again on Sunday, Sept. 6, against Ole Miss at Nissan Stadium in Nashville.
In Other News...
Pat Kelsey Is Suddenly In The Mix For A Massive Guard Win
Louisvilles recruiting momentum under Pat Kelsey has started to show up in the 2027 class, where the Cardinals are working through a list of top guard targets and trying to make an early impression on one of the nations most coveted backcourt prospects. The latest buzz has centered on Cayden Daughtry, a highly regarded point guard who is in the middle of competition at the 2026 Nike EYBL Peach Jam while schools continue to circle.
Daughtry has said Louisville is making a strong push, and that matters because this is the kind of recruitment that can shape a class for years if the Cardinals stay in the conversation. Tennessee is also among the programs he is hearing from most, so Louisville is not alone in the chase, but the fact that the Cardinals are already in that mix gives Kelseys staff a real foothold as the process moves toward Daughtrys next list of schools. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Commit Ferlandes Wright Is Hinting At Something Bigger
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Louisville has clearly stayed engaged, too, with Pat Kelsey making time to see Wright in person and keep the connection warm. Wright, for his part, is paying attention to how the rest of the class comes together and remains invested in what the Cardinals are building around him. He is also planning to get back to campus again this fall, another sign that the relationship is still moving in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Fans Are Already Rallying Around This Hometown 4-Star
Louisvilles recruiting push in the 2027 and 2028 classes has already put the Cardinals in the mix for some of the countrys most sought-after backcourt talent, and that includes 5-star point guard Reese Alston and hometown 4-star combo guard Josh Lindsay. Pat Kelsey has been visible on the trail during the contact period, showing up at games and reaching out to multiple recruits, which has helped keep Louisville in the conversation as the staff tries to build around elite young guards.
Lindsay, a Louisville native, has become especially easy for fans to latch onto because the local connection gives the pursuit a different feel than a typical national recruiting battle. He has picked up multiple offers and drawn attention from a long list of programs, but the reaction around Louisville has been loud enough to suggest the Cardinals are not just another school in the chase. For a fan base looking for the next in-state star to rally around, this is the kind of recruitment that can gain momentum fast. [Read more 🡒]