Louisville football isn't just riding the momentum of a strong season - it's building something bigger. After a top-five finish in the Transfer Portal rankings this offseason, head coach Jeff Brohm and recruiting ace Vince Marrow are wasting no time shifting gears toward the 2027 recruiting class. And if early signs are any indication, they're not just aiming to compete - they’re aiming to own the state of Kentucky.
That mission took another step forward this week as the Cardinals turned their full attention to one of the crown jewels of the 2027 cycle: Malachi Brown.
Brown, a 6-foot-4, 265-pound defensive lineman, is the kind of player who doesn’t just show up on tape - he takes it over. With 66 total tackles, 62 of them solo, 11 tackles for loss, and eight sacks last season, he’s proven he can dominate the line of scrimmage in ways most high school juniors only dream of. Add in a forced fumble and two recoveries, and you’ve got a defensive disruptor who’s already playing like a college upperclassman.
Louisville’s interest in Brown isn’t just serious - it’s strategic. After securing a commitment from Allen Evans, the No. 1 recruit in Kentucky and the sixth-highest ranked commit in program history, the Cardinals are doubling down on their in-state recruiting dominance. Brown, ranked as the No. 2 player in Kentucky and as high as No. 100 nationally, is now the top target on their board.
Brohm and Marrow made that clear with a recent in-person visit to Brown, signaling just how high he sits on their priority list. The Corbin native posted about the visit on social media, thanking the Louisville staff for coming to see him - a sign that the relationship-building phase is well underway.
But this recruitment is shaping up to be a heavyweight bout. Brown has already drawn over 20 scholarship offers from a who’s who of college football powerhouses - Alabama, Ohio State, Miami, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana, just to name a few.
He’s taken unofficial visits to several of those programs, including Alabama, Nebraska, and Ohio State, with Tennessee hosting him twice already. Louisville did get him on campus for an unofficial visit back in November, which could prove crucial as the process unfolds.
According to On3 Sports, Kentucky currently holds a slight edge in the race for Brown, with a 25.4% chance of landing him. Louisville isn’t far behind at 22.3%, and with Brohm and Marrow now turning up the heat, that gap could close quickly. These next few months will be pivotal.
For Louisville, landing Brown would be more than just another blue-chip commitment - it would be a statement. A statement that the Cardinals aren’t just building through the portal or cherry-picking talent from afar. They’re locking down their own backyard, one elite recruit at a time.
And if they can pull off the Evans-Brown one-two punch in the 2027 class? That’s not just a win on the recruiting trail - that’s the foundation of a contender.