Louisville’s defensive line is taking on a new look in 2026, but the Cardinals still have the pieces to make life miserable for opposing offenses.
The biggest reason for optimism is the edge, where Clev Lubin is back for his senior season after a dominant 2025. He finished first on the team with 8.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss, then added Third Team All-ACC honors to the résumé.
Lubin’s game is built on speed, effort, and a first step that shows up immediately, and the Cardinals will lean on that again this fall. There’s even a path where a bigger year pushes him into All-American conversation.
Louisville also has a familiar face returning in AJ Green, who flashed late last season and could be ready for a bigger role. At 6’6″ and 260 pounds, he gives the Cardinals a massive body off the edge, and the variety of moves he’s shown makes him a tough matchup when paired with Lubin. That combination, with Lubin on one side and Green on the other, gives Louisville a legitimate chance to create headaches for tackles all season.
The staff also added help through the portal in Tyler Thompson and Jerod Smith II. Thompson arrives from North Carolina after posting seven sacks, which ranked second on the team and tied for eighth in the ACC, along with a team-high two forced fumbles.
He can play either LEO or weakside defensive end, which opens the door for some different pass-rush pairings. Jerod Smith, who transferred from Kentucky and joined his brother Jacob in Louisville, had five tackles for loss last season and should be in line for a larger role on the two-deep.
He looks like the better fit as a 4-2-5 / 4-3 weakside edge rusher.
Inside, Louisville is replacing a lot. Jordan Guerad, Rene Konga, Denzel Lowry, and Jerry Lawson are all gone from the rotation, leaving the Cardinals with a completely new group at defensive tackle.
To fill those spots, Louisville brought in Demeco Kennedy from Purdue and Daylen Russell from Miami. Kennedy started four games and played all 12 for Purdue, while Russell appeared in five games for the Hurricanes.
Joshua Donald is also in the mix after sitting out last season at Houston, and he brings prior starting experience from Appalachian State, where he started 10 games at nose tackle in 2024 and finished with 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, and one forced fumble.
There’s also a chance Louisville gets more from its younger linemen. Micah Carter, Eric Hazzard, and Bailey Abercrombie are all names to watch in the rotation.
Carter has the size and physical tools to grow into a Power Four starter, while Hazzard saw most of his action on special teams last season. Abercrombie redshirted a year ago after arriving as a three-star recruit in the 2025 class.
The challenge for Louisville is obvious after losing so much interior production, plus top high school EDGE recruit and defensive line coach Mark Hagen. Hagen has moved on to Oregon State, and co-defensive coordinator Mark Ivey is back coaching the defensive line after spending the last three seasons with the linebackers under Jeff Brohm. Ivey also handled Louisville’s defensive line during the Scott Satterfield era from 2019-22, when the group climbed from 21 sacks in 11 games in 2020 to a nation-leading 50 sacks in 2022.
Even with the turnover, Louisville’s front has a chance to be one of the ACC’s best. The Cardinals finished 2025 with 31 sacks and 77 tackles for loss, down slightly from 34 sacks and 87 tackles for loss in 2024, but they still made an impact throughout the season. Their run defense held up too, allowing just 114.3 rushing yards per game, good for sixth in the ACC and 23rd nationally.
That background matters because the new-look line isn’t starting from scratch. Louisville knows what this unit can become, and with Lubin leading the way plus new additions stepping into major roles, the Cardinals enter 2026 with real upside up front.
Projected starters: Clev Lubin (EDGE), Demeco Kennedy (NT), Daylen Russell (DT), Tyler Thompson (WDE).
In Other News...
Louisville Linebackers Could Decide How Good This Defense Really Is
Louisvilles defense already gave the program a respectable baseline last season, finishing inside the top 20 in both yards per game and yards per play even while dealing with injuries. Now the question is less about what the unit can be and more about how high it can climb under new defensive coordinators Mark Ivey and Steve Ellis, with the Cardinals choosing continuity over outside help and leaning on the players already in the building.
Stanquan Clark, TJ Capers and Antonio Watts are all expected to carry significant weight in that effort, and the linebacker room in particular feels like the hinge point for the whole operation. If the returnees and backups can supply the kind of depth Louisville is counting on without any transfer portal additions, this defense could stay sturdy again; if not, the margin for error gets a lot smaller in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Just Got Real Proof Its ACC Hype Is Legit
Louisville finally has the kind of preseason respect that turns offseason buzz into something more concrete. The Cardinals landed at No. 24 in the 2026 preseason AP Poll, a sign that the national conversation has caught up with what has been building around Jeff Brohms program. Between a strong transfer portal haul and important returning pieces on both sides of the ball, Louisville is being sized up as a real ACC contender instead of just a trendy sleeper.
The ranking also comes with a quick reality check. Louisvilles schedule offers little room to settle in, with early tests against No. 9 Ole Miss and No. 19 SMU waiting right out of the gate. If the Cardinals are going to turn this preseason praise into something bigger, they will have to prove it fast against a slate that can either validate the hype or expose how far there still is to go. [Read more 🡒]