Louisville got tough news Thursday evening: Antonio Watts will be done for the season because of a knee injury.
In a statement, the program said, "University of Louisville linebacker/safety Antonio Watts will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury."
Watts had already shown up on Wednesday night’s initial availability report as doubtful, and now the Cardinals know they’ll have to move forward without him the rest of the way.
The injury is another setback for Watts, who was back in 2026 after missing the final games of the 2025 season with an injury he suffered against Clemson on November 14. During fall camp, the 6-foot-2, 225-pound defender sounded eager just to be back with the group.
"I feel pretty great to be back out there with my guys," Watts said following a recent practice. "I had an injury last season and I want to say it wasn't pretty difficult because I knew I had another season, so I just shook back, went through injury, got a lot of treatment and now I'm back on hunting. I'm just ready for this season."
Through three games this season, Watts started all of them and has recorded seven tackles.
Louisville’s Thursday availability report also included nine players listed as probable. That group features wide receiver Tre Richardson, running back Keyjuan Brown, defensive linemen Demeco Kennedy, A.J.
Green and Daylen Russell, safety Koen Entringer, offensive lineman Anwar O'neal, cornerback Tayon Holloway and offensive lineman Cameron Gorin. Holloway and Gorin were both moved up from questionable.
On the other side of the report, Bryten Close, Max Merz and Sam Secrest are out. Tight end Travis Egan is also out, along with wide receiver Payton Cook, defensive lineman Sam Dawson and punter Jacob Baker.
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The setting gives Louisville a little extra intrigue, too, with a chance to make an impression in a rivalry lane that always draws attention from both fan bases. Hughes remains a major national target, and any program trying to land him has to keep showing why it belongs in the conversation. For the Cardinals, the visit is part of a larger effort to build out that 2027 class, and adding a recruit with Hughes profile would be a meaningful step in that direction. [Read more 🡒]