Louisville Has Two Stars Raising The Bar For 2026 Expectations

Two standout players from Louisville solidify their place among college football's elite with prestigious preseason All-American nods.

Louisville picked up another dose of preseason recognition on Thursday, with a pair of Cardinals landing on Sporting News’ second team All-America list.

Running back Isaac Brown and defensive lineman Clev Lubin were both included in the recent Sporting News preseason selections, giving UofL two more names to point to as the 2026 season approaches.

Brown enters the year with plenty of buzz around him. The 5-foot-9, 190-pound junior did not take part in Louisville’s first fall practice on Thursday, but his stock is still soaring after what he did in 2025. In nine games, Brown logged 101 carries for 884 yards and seven touchdowns, with injuries limiting his season.

The preseason honors keep piling up for Brown, too. He was also named to the Maxwell Award Watch List, which includes 81 players being tracked for the award given to college football’s most outstanding player.

Lubin’s case is built on production that showed up all over the stat sheet last fall. The 6-foot-3, 250-pound senior edge rusher finished 2025 with 9.5 sacks, good for 25th nationally and fourth in the ACC. He also posted 13.5 tackles for loss, ranking seventh in the league, while adding a team-best seven QB hurries and finishing fourth on Louisville with 61 total tackles.

Like Brown, Lubin has already been getting attention on the national watch-list circuit. He was recently included among the 68 players on the 2026 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List, which recognizes the nation’s top defensive player of the year.

In Other News...

Pat Kelsey Is Chasing Another Elite Big Man For Louisville

Pat Kelsey has made it pretty clear what kind of roster he wants to build at Louisville, and the Cardinals are back in the mix for another prized big man. After already landing commitments from top centers Mikel Brown Jr. and Obinna Ekezie Jr., the staff is now pushing to keep that momentum going by staying active with one of the nations best frontcourt prospects in the 2027 class.

The appeal is easy to see from Louisvilles side. The Cardinals have shown they can get in early and stay relevant with elite size, and this latest recruitment fits the same pattern. Uvwo has climbed in the national conversation thanks in part to strong defensive play, and Louisvilles effort to remain in the hunt underscores how much Kelsey values adding another impact interior presence, even with a crowded field of major programs circling. [Read more 🡒]

Louisville Is Counting On TreyShun Hurry To Steady A Reworked Receiver Room

TreyShun Hurry has settled into a different kind of role in his second season at Louisville, one that goes beyond simply lining up at wide receiver. The senior transfer from San Jose State is now one of the steady voices in a room that has been reworked, and he has taken on more of a mentor presence for the younger receivers while feeling more comfortable with the playbook himself.

There is still plenty of integration going on, with new faces such as Vanderbilt transfer Tre Richardson joining the mix, but the early signs point to a group that is building chemistry in the right places. Hurry said the receivers and quarterbacks have developed a strong relationship, which matters with Ole Miss looming in the opener at Nissan Stadium on Sept. 6 and Louisville needing its passing game to come together quickly. [Read more 🡒]