Louisville’s offseason buzz has a familiar centerpiece: Isaac Brown.
With college football creeping closer and Jeff Brohm’s roster overhaul already earning plenty of attention, the Cardinals are also getting a jolt from the guys who never left. Louisville added more than 32 transfers and landed a top-five portal class nationally, but the real lift for this season may come from the returning talent, especially in the backfield.
That’s where Brown stands out. The junior running back was named Monday morning to the Maxwell Award Watch List, another sign that his name is already in the national conversation before the season even kicks off.
The Maxwell Football Club’s preseason list includes 81 players, with 11 from the ACC and 30 running backs. The award, handed out each year to the most outstanding player in college football, has been around since 1937 and is named for Robert "Tiny" Maxwell, the sportswriter and Swarthmore College standout.
Brown is expected to be a major part of Louisville’s offense again, and the praise around the Cardinals’ running back room has been hard to miss. That group was ranked as high as No. 4 in the nation, with Brown sitting at the top of the depth chart as one of college football’s top backs.
His 2025 season was cut short by injuries, but when he was on the field, he was electric. Brown ran for 884 yards and seven touchdowns on just 101 carries, good for an eye-popping 8.8 yards per attempt.
And the production didn’t start there. In his true freshman season, Brown rushed for 1,173 yards, setting the program’s true-freshman rushing record. He also matched Lamar Jackson’s freshman mark with five 100-yard rushing games, finished at 7.1 yards per carry, and collected both ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year and ACC Rookie of the Year honors.
Brown is one of several ACC names on the watch list, alongside Miami quarterback Darian Mensah Jr, wide receiver Malachi Toney, and running back Mark Fletcher Jr.
Louisville also has a handful of opponents represented, including North Carolina State quarterback CJ Bailey Jr., Pitt quarterback Mason Heintschel, SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings, Georgia Tech running back Justice Haynes, Florida State wide receiver Duce Robinson, and Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy.
In Other News...
Pat Kelsey Responds To Peyton Siva Exit Louisville Fans Felt
Louisvilles offseason staff turnover has kept the program in a state of adjustment, with Executive Director Brian Kloman heading to Auburn and assistant coach Thomas Carr moving on to Indiana. Now Peyton Siva, one of the most recognizable former Cardinals to return as both a player and assistant coach, has also left, adding another notable change to a bench that has already looked different from the one Louisville ended last season with.
Pat Kelsey addressed the move publicly and made it clear he held no ill will toward Siva, saying he understood the decision and respected it. For a program trying to keep momentum while piecing together a new-look staff, the tone matters as much as the personnel, and Kelseys response suggested the relationship remains intact even as Louisville keeps navigating a busy offseason. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Defense Is Getting Hype Now Brohm Has To Deliver
Louisvilles defense is starting to draw some early national attention, with Koen Entringer and Clev Lubin landing on the preseason watch list for the Nagurski Award. It is the kind of recognition that usually shows up before a team has even taken a meaningful snap in August, but it does reflect the expectation surrounding a unit that should be central to the Cardinals hopes this fall.
Brohms team will get its first six fall camp practices in front of the public on specified dates in August, giving fans an early look at how that defensive buzz translates on the field. There is plenty else happening around Louisville sports too, from the basketball programs No. 12 spot in Jeff Borzells early rankings to Amelia Swinarskis preseason All-ACC Team nod and Lou Citys upcoming "Fill the Fam" game, but for football the bigger question remains whether the hype can turn into something more concrete once the real work begins. [Read more 🡒]
Pat Kelsey Still Sees One Roster Twist Louisville Fans Should Watch
Pat Kelsey likes where Louisville stands heading into the season, and for good reason. The Cardinals spent the spring putting together a roster he believes is ready to compete, and the coach said the group has made clear progress as the calendar has moved toward fall. Even with the usual preseason optimism, Kelsey made it clear this is not a year for anybody around the program to get too comfortable.
The reason is the backdrop around college sports itself, where lawsuits and legislative moves continue to leave eligibility rules in flux. Kelsey said Louisville has to stay alert to the possibility that more players could become available as the legal picture shifts, even as the staff prepares as if the current roster is the one it will have. For now, the Cardinals can focus on the team they built, but there is still at least one twist to keep watching before the season gets here. [Read more 🡒]