Friday afternoon around Louisville came with a little bit of everything: preseason praise, bold football predictions, a volleyball ranking, and a busy weekend on the calendar.
The biggest national nod in the bunch went to Louisville volleyball, which was picked to finish third in the ACC behind Stanford and Pitt. Two Cardinals also landed on the AVCA preseason Player of the Year watch list, another sign that the program is drawing real attention before the season gets rolling.
There’s also buzz around the men’s basketball side. ESPN’s Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf listed Louisville as a top 10 national title contender for 2026-27, while the CJ’s Brooks Holton put together four takeaways from Louisville’s performance in the Bahamas.
On the football front, Cardinal Authority’s Jacob Polacheck and Michael McCammon offered up some bold calls for the upcoming season. McCammon went all the way to a perfect home slate, predicting Louisville will go 6-0 at L&N Stadium in 2026.
That would be a major change from last season, when the Cardinals lost three games at home by a combined seven points, including two overtime defeats. Louisville hasn’t finished a home schedule without a loss since 2006.
Polacheck’s pick centered on Clev Lubin, and it was a big one. After Lubin posted 8.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss in 2025, Polacheck is forecasting another jump and calling for Lubin to win ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
He said he briefly considered going even bigger before backing off the single-season sack record, noting, “I was going to predict that Lubin breaks the Louisville single-season sack record, but then I remembered that Elvis Dumervil ’s 20.5 sack season exists, and I haven’t totally lost my mind just yet.” He added, “Yes, Lubin is on the All-ACC Preseason team, but I’m predicting he takes that even further and is the best defensive player in the conference, officially cementing himself as a program great.”
The weekend schedule is packed beyond the preseason chatter. Racing Louisville returns home Saturday for a 4 p.m. match against Chicago Stars at Lynn Family Stadium, where it’s Youth Sports Day. Kids wearing a jersey or team T-shirt can get a free ticket by walking up to Gate 5.
LouCity is on the road Saturday night for an 8 p.m. matchup at Tampa Bay, and that game will air nationally on ESPN2.
Louisville football also has a major date circled for Labor Day weekend, when the Cardinals head to Nashville for a rare doubleheader feel. The Sprouts Farmers Market Broadway Block Party at Bridgestone Arena will feature Louisville against Texas at 11 a.m.
CT on ABC, followed by Tennessee vs. Indiana at 2 p.m.
CT on ESPN2. The volleyball event debuted last year to more than 11,000 fans, and it sets up a full day for Louisville supporters before the football opener against Ole Miss later that night at Nissan Stadium at 6:30 p.m.
CT on ABC.
Elsewhere, Bill Self discussed exhibition games against Louisville and Duke this preseason, Pitt’s 247 site posted a Louisville football preview, and the CJ examined the top Louisville-area linebackers for the upcoming high school football season.
There was also a note on the Louisville Kings side, with WR Kaden Prather signing a deal with the Green Bay Packers.
And for anyone looking well beyond the fall, one item on the list was simple enough: let’s go ahead and get ourselves off this list in about four months.
In Other News...
Louisvilles ACC Hopes Ride On Jeff Brohms New Offensive Core
With the season opener against Ole Miss looming, Louisville is trying to sort out a revamped offense that will lean heavily on new faces and a few established pieces. The Cardinals brought in transfer quarterback Lincoln Kienholz to help steer the unit, while Isaac Brown and Keyjuan Brown give Jeff Brohm a backfield that should provide some balance as the staff works through its early-season answers.
The receiving group is where the intrigue really starts to build, with transfers Lawayne McCoy and Tre Richardson stepping into spots created by major departures. Richardson, in particular, arrives with the chance to become a central part of the passing game, and Louisville will need that kind of immediate production if it wants to keep pace in ACC play after the opener sets the tone. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Fall Camp Puts Kienholz And New Targets Under Pressure
Early August brings the kind of urgency that makes fall camp matter, and Louisville is leaning into it as it starts building toward the 2026 opener against Ole Miss. The Cardinals are using these practices to sort out position battles, deepen a defense that needs reliable answers, and get a clearer picture of who can create offense when the lights come on.
Lincoln Kienholz sits at the center of that conversation, with the quarterback room offering one of camps biggest evaluation points. Louisville also needs new receiving options to come forward, and Tre Richardson, Lawayne McCoy and TreyShun Hurry are among the names being watched closely as the staff tries to determine who can become the go-to targets before the season arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Could Be Counting On A Quiet Local Linebacker Soon
Jacob Smith has been the kind of local prospect programs like to point to when they talk about development and patience. A redshirt sophomore linebacker from Somerset, Kentucky, who starred at Corbin High School and earned all-state honors, Smith arrived in the state with a strong reputation and the appeal of staying close to home. His path to this point has been quieter than his high school rsum suggested, but there is still a sense that his best football is ahead of him.
Smith is aiming for a bigger role in 2026, with the hope that he can work his way into the linebacker rotation and give Louisville another homegrown option on defense. For now, the intrigue is less about what he has already done and more about what kind of opportunity opens up next, especially for a player whose first two seasons have not yet produced the kind of extended run that would answer all the questions. [Read more 🡒]