Card Chronicle - All Posts

Louisville football not ranked in preseason coaches poll

2025-08-04T13:36:31-04:00

Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images

The Cards will once again begin the season without a little number next to their name.

Just like a year ago, the Louisville football season will kick off its 2025 campaign having narrowly missed out on a spot in the preseason coaches top 25 poll.

The Cardinals were, for a second straight season, third in the “also receiving votes” category.

U of L. has scheduled games against teams ranked No. 6 (Clemson), No. 10 (Miami) and No. 16 (SMU).

Here’s the complete poll, which is topped by Texas for (surprisingly) the first time ever in a preseason:

Preseason Coaches Poll

1. Texas (28)

2. Ohio State (20)

3. Penn State (14)

4. Georgia (3)

5. Notre Dame

6. Clemson (2)

7. Oregon

8. Alabama

9. LSU

10. Miami (FL)

11. Arizona State

12. Illinois

13. South Carolina

14. Michigan

15. Ole Miss

16. SMU

17. Florida

18. Tennessee

19. Indiana

20. Kansas State

21(T): Texas A&M

21(T): Iowa State

23. BYU

24. Texas Tech

25. Boise State

Others receiving votes: Oklahoma (221); Missouri (142); Louisville (126); USC (116); Utah (86); Baylor (76); Auburn (50); Iowa (49); Memphis (34); Army (33); Tulane (31); Georgia Tech (27); TCU (24); Nebraska (19); Syracuse (16); Washington (15); Navy (14); Arkansas (14); Duke (12); Colorado (12); Minnesota (11); UNLV (8); Florida State (8); Kansas (6); Vanderbilt (3); Buffalo (1)

The Cardinal Countdown: 26 Days Until Kickoff

2025-08-04T07:30:00-04:00

Photo by Rob Tringali/Sportschrome/Getty Images

College Pigskin Chatterwocky

2025-08-03T15:05:44-04:00

The cellphone rang.

I saw that it was arch nemesis/ antagonist Bookstore, currently domiciled in the Land o’ Where They Just Care More.

I sat, braced myself, turned down the volume and swiped accept.

As is often the case in our cellular interactions, bellow fellows that we both are, one or the other launches into an acerbic observation/ dismissal or another. This time I was on the receiving end as soon as I said hello.

“What the hell is going on!!?!? It’s the beginning of baseball. Yesterday was football media day. And you posted an article about Louisville basketball players. (With about 45 seconds of additional diatribe then . . .

“NOBODY CARES!!!!”

At which point, he paused for effect and I, a fellow who knows under normal circumstances how to hijack a conversation, was finally able to get in a word edgewise.

“Listen, William, You are totally WRONG.

“I live in Louisville, Kentucky, the epicenter of college hoops, where it is b-ball season 24/7/365. My constituency is locked in. The only person who has expressed even close to your feelings is NOBODY.

“You’re the only one.

“Besides, at the Chron, there have been articles about Cardinal football every single day all summer. CardinalStrong has been doing a countdown. He and other compatriots there follow pigskin way more closely than I do.”

Plus Glorious Editor and Keith Wynne.

I had a few more choice putdowns which needn’t be reiterated.

At which juncture, the conversation morphed into a more civil catching up.

But, the opening did give me pause.

Plus I am sure there are some gridiron obsessive U of L fans, who know more than me what’s going on, but still want to hear me talk about. For some reason.

Thus, these few relatively distant and random and peripheral takes about the upcoming season, with the caveat that I wasn’t even able to make to Media Day because of some personal stuff.

* * * * *

ACC media voters have predicted a fifth place league finish for the Cardinals.

After Clemson, Miami, SMU, and Georgia Tech in that order.

While guru Phil Steele isn’t even that optimistic. He adds a rebounding Florida State in the five spot, with U of L dropping to #6.

You won’t read any deep dive here. All those folks know more than me. As do many of you.

I have taken notice of the schedule.

Yes, eight games in the friendly if always less than full confines of the L&N. Including ACC favorite Clemson. A good thing obviously.

But, oh my those four away battles, all in the conference.

At Pitt. In a series where the home team has won five straight.

At surging Miami with CFP aspirations. The Canes won here last campaign as an underdog.

At Virginia Tech. U of L’s first visit to Blacksburg since 1991.

At SMU. Where money talks. For another foray with the Mustangs, who have bested the Cardinals in all three previous meetings, in ‘83,’ 84 and 27-34 on Floyd Street last season.

Clemson visits here, itching to atone for first L ever to Louisville.

And UK, for all its issues and downtick, in a rivalry game always fraught with peril. U of L hasn’t bested the Cats at home since 2014.

I’ll leave it to others to break down issues and possible weaknesses in the squad. Above my pay grade.

But, oh my, that tricky schedule.

* * * * *

There is one aspect of the Jeff Brohm era that continues to fascinate, and confuse.

The QB whisperer has brought in a mercenary signal caller for the third straight campaign. Which, admittedly, is quickly becoming the norm across the landscape nowadays,

This time around, Cali dude Miller Moss, late of Southern Cal. Playing for said Trojans, he airmailed six strikes against U of L in ‘23 Holiday Bowl.

What goes around, comes around???

Apparently Coach hasn’t been satisfied enough with any of his QB recruits. Even though, he had a double digit QB Room his first year as head guy on the Belknap Campus.

Cards have at least three rookies in that room this season. Though a Jr., Brady Allen is probably the #2 guy.

It shall be interesting to observe whether any of the newcomers stick and stick around.

* * * * *

The answer is YES, for those of you breathless for word that Seedy K’s Peerless Pigskin Prognostications shall return.

Starting with Week 0, another boffo season is expected for fans of the sport as well as college pigskin’s foremost predicticator.

— c d kaplan

Louisville Football Fall Practice Notes

2025-08-03T14:53:37-04:00

Photo by Matt Kelley/Getty Images

Louisville football opened up a handful of practices to the public this fall, and I was able to make it out on Saturday for their third practice and their first padded practice. Unfortunately, the 9:45 am start time will make this my only practice I can attend, but I tried to get as many notes as I possibly could.

There were not a lot of major changes from what we saw in the spring, which can be taken in different ways with what they added this summer. The offense won the day with their passing game, but I thought the defensive front did well to stuff running lanes, and they had some plays where they would have gotten to the quarterback.

Below are some notes on what I saw on Saturday.

QUARTERBACKS

The QBs were the best group on the day with a consistent showing of nice throws to all areas of the field. Miller Moss rarely does anything that wows you, but he has been accurate and on time with his throws since he arrived on campus. I would imagine Jeff and Brian Brohm are honing the calls and plan around what Moss does best, which should be a bit different than last year, where Tyler Shough was allowed to be as aggressive as he wanted to be.

Deuce Adams has the best arm and the biggest upside of the quarterback group, but it still looks like a true battle for the backup position with Brady Allen. Adams has real zip on the ball and he has the aggressive mindset that Shough had when it comes to pushing the ball down the field. Add in his running ability, and I think that he can be the future at the position, even if there will be growing pains with him.

As for Allen, I think that he has improved tremendously since he arrived on campus. He finished the spring practice period very strong and he picked up where he left off. I think he has the inside track for the backup spot but I’d imagine that both guys would get a chance if they had a long-term need due to injury.

RUNNING BACK

There’s not much to learn with the running backs, as Isaac Brown is still super fast and Duke Watson could probably beat him in a foot race. Both players have added a little weight, but neither has added considerable bulk. With Brown having some nagging injuries last season, it’ll be something to note if that is an issue again this season.

Keyjuan Brown continues to look like a real option for the staff after a strong spring. He showed off better quickness and speed while continuing to carry good weight to be the power option for the group.

Jamarice Wilder is out with an injury, so Shaun Boykins has been working with the running back group so far this fall. Boykins looks much better than I expected, with fluid movements and good instincts as a runner. I honestly think that it’s where he belongs in comparison to how he looked as a receiver. I’m hopeful that he can find a home there.

RECEIVERS

As with the running backs, the top of the depth chart is set, and expectations are high. Chris Bell continues to look like a guy who could break out this year. He spent a little bit of time working in the slot during drills, which was a nice wrinkle to see.

Caullin Lacy is the lone guy on the field who looked “different” to me. I mean that in a good way. Lacy has a unique ability to be super smooth in all of his movements while also being twitchy and explosive with his cuts. He spent some time during practice taking straight handoffs in the backfield, which is a very intriguing change.

The number three spot appears to be Antonio Meeks’ to lose at this point. One of the first things I noticed was that Miller Moss was purposely getting reps with Meeks in drills early in practice. He would either swap out with the quarterback who was up or he would direct Meeks to the front of the line. Meeks looked the part, so I expect him to get plenty of run this year.

The other receivers didn’t show much outside of Kris Hughes, who I expect to have a role in the offense this year. Hughes made the biggest play of the day on a deep crossing route to the opposite hash from Deuce Adams. Hughes had three catches against Boston College last year in the only extended time that he had, but he made the plays when he had the opportunity. I think he just needs more of an opportunity.

The outside spots will be backed up by Dacari Collins and TreyShun Hurry. Both transfers have great size and looked good running routes in drills. However, neither of them stood out on this day. The depth was much needed, so I don’t have any issue with the staff bringing these guys in, and I’m still hopeful that they can make an impact this season.

From what I saw, I don’t know that any of the other guys in the group will have a big role in the offense, but Bobby Golden and Brock Coffman made a nice impression. Coffman is green as a freshman, but he made one of the best plays of the day on a deep throw in traffic from Adams.

TIGHT ENDS

I think that the tight end group is the most interesting group on the team with all of the movement from the spring. Jacob Stewart comes in from San Jose State with a lot of experience under his belt, but he seems to be buried behind the guys returning from last year. Nate Kurisky continues to be the first guy up at practice, and Jaleel Skinner is the next guy up with some sets where he is split out in the slot.

Harrison Atkins is a guy who looked very good in the spring and is carving out a role this fall. He appears to be the next man up at fullback when they deploy that set, and Atkins also got some run with the first team in some segments.

The other guys to get some run were Dylan Mesman, who was the third tight end up in most segments, and Davon Mitchell, who seems to be the last man up. Mesman is another guy that I think just needs a chance, but we’ll have to see if he gets that chance. Mitchell is a massive dude. You can’t help but notice how his frame is different than the others. While most of these guys are tall and long, Mitchell is a big body who could find himself as an option in heavy sets.

OFFENSIVE LINE

As always, it’s tough to learn a lot about the offensive line in practice, but we at least got some insight on the depth chart. Trevonte Sylvester didn’t practice today so we’ll have to see who the tackles are but it seems like the other spots may be set.

Mohammed Moussa and Rasheed Miller started at the tackle spots with Pete Nygra back in the middle at center. Lance Robinson and Jordan Church were at the guard spots, but Naeer Jackson should be able to battle for the right guard spot after a strong spring. I’m not sure if he’s healthy or not, but I didn’t see him on the field, though he was dressed out.

As for depth, I think the Cards are in good shape if they’re healthy. Carter Guillaume was the second center up with Makaylan Pounders and Michael Flores as options at tackle and guard, respectively. Vic Cutler is also a solid depth piece with positional flexibility. If this group is healthy, they should be able to round into shape before the schedule gets tough.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Louisville will have a lot of newcomers up front on the defensive side of the ball, based on what I saw at practice. Denzel Lowry has been a mainstay in the middle since spring practice started and that continued into the fall. Rene Konga has been running with the second group and I’m very interested to see how the nose tackle spot performs as these two rotate.

Jordan Geruad is healthy this fall, and he should be the key player in the group this season. He was expected to have an impact last year, but injuries slowed him down. He’s a player who will have to make disruptive plays inside for the defense to reach its potential.

AJ Green and Wesley Bailey are manning the spots on the edges, and Green had a few pass rush wins in the team segments that would have been sacks or pressures. Bailey has been able to hold off Clev Lubin on the first team, which is a bit of a surprise with how productive Lubin was at Coastal Carolina. I still hope that we’ll see Lubin in on packages as a pass rusher. They have to find a way to replace what they lost last year, and he is their best bet.

Selah Brown was limping around and didn’t practice from what I saw, but I’m really hopeful he’s good to go when the season starts. He looked really good in the spring. Jerry Lawson is the other inside lineman who got a lot of run with the second group. Justin Beadles ran with the second group throughout all practice. Micah Carter is the one guy I expected to see, but I didn’t see him in the team segments. It’s possible I missed him, as I did see him dressed out.

LINEBACKERS

With Stanquan Clark back from what looks like a shoulder injury, the linebacker group seemed to finally be back to full strength. However, Khalib Perry suffered a hand injury off the field that kept him out of anything but drills.

The remainder of the group looked the part with TJ Quinn and TJ Capers taking most of the first team snaps. Clark rotated in with Capers, with Trent Carter sliding in with the second group as well.

The defense didn’t have a great day against the pass, and this group was a part of that. The middle of the field was wide open for the quarterbacks to pick apart all day long. It was a major issue last season, and with no changes with the personnel or scheme, it’s the very first thing on my list of what to look out for with the defense this year.

Antonio Watts finally has a backup, and it is Nigel Williams, who recently transferred in. Williams did slide back to safety on one particular play, which makes me think that he will give Ron English some flexibility when he’s in the game.

SECONDARY

The biggest question mark on the team right now is the secondary overall and the cornerback spots, specifically. Rodney Johnson continued at his spot as the boundary corner with Jabari Mack shooting up the depth chart to take the other spot. Mack wasn’t even running with the second group in the spring so this was a surprise for me. He made one of the only plays on the ball that I saw, so I’ll take that as a sign that he’s earned the spot.

Raemon Mosby is running with the second group opposite Tayon Holloway, who just returned to the team. Mosby looked good in the spring, so I think it’s fair to say that Steve Ellis has a two-deep he can work with. Throw in Antonio Harris, who continues to play aggressively and competently in coverage, and he has to feel better than he did going into the spring.

Safety is solid with DeAngelo Hutchinson and Jojo Evans looking good on the back end. Deah McCullough seems set with the second group, while Corey Gordon and Micah Rice split reps with the second team. Blake Ruffin looks like the last man up, but it stood out to me that he spent about half an hour after practice working on technique with Holloway.

SPECIAL TEAMS

I will admit that I didn’t pay much attention to the special teams, but I will say that they spent more time on special teams in this practice than I have seen from this staff before. Carter Shwartz should continue on as the starting punter after a great bowl game performance.

As for the kicker position, it looks to me that it is Nick Keller’s job to lose. Cooper Ranvier should provide a good challenge as well as a backup option for him. I’m also intrigued to see if Carson Hilbert gets a chance to kick in any of the potential blowout games this year. I think he has high upside.

The returners weren’t too surprising, with Lacy being the first man up. Chris Bell and Isaac Brown also look like options, while Bobby Golden should be the top option behind Lacy. I didn’t get to see the kick return unit, but Lacy seems to be the best bet after his showing in limited opportunities last year.

NOTES

I can’t help but make some observations while I watch practice so I thought I’d throw them together.

Ron English went off on the entire secondary after practice with the repeated theme being “finish the play”. English wasn’t happy with his guys letting up before the play was over and expressed this thought a handful of times during the practice. I would agree with him based on what I saw.
Chris Bell and Antonio Meeks stayed well after practice, working on technique and catching balls from the JUGS machine.
Michael Flores was the last player to leave the field after about 45 minutes or so, working on technique with a coach and then by himself.
Steve Ellis ran the secondary through wide receiver hands drills after practice with Brady Allen as the QB. He had them focusing on catching the ball with his hands.
Chris Barclay had Braxton Jennings doing a modified form of “up downs” after practice as he fumbled during a team period.
Deion Branch and Pete Notcha spent about 30-40 minutes talking to scouts after practice. The Ravens, Bears, Colts, and another team were represented.
I happened to be standing next to Cameron Gorin’s dad, and he is somehow bigger than his son. The other offensive linemen came over as they left practice to share some nice words about Cam with his family. The camaraderie of football is something that I think is extremely underrated.

The Cardinal Countdown: 27 Days Until Kickoff

2025-08-03T07:30:00-04:00

FOUR WEEKS!

The Cardinal Countdown: 28 Days Until Kickoff

2025-08-02T07:30:00-04:00

Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images

FOUR WEEKS!

Friday afternoon Cardinal news and notes

2025-08-01T13:53:12-04:00

RIP, D. Wayne.

—Isaac Brown and Chris Bell were the lone Cardinal football players named to the preseason All-ACC squad. Brown received three first-place votes for the league’s Preseason Player of the Year award.

—Jeff Walz gave the media a summer update on Thursday morning. You can check it out here.

—Walz had no problem talking openly about the new financial challenges present in his sport.

—My countdown of the 100 best rivalries in college basketball started today with numbers 100-76.

—Seeing these two coaches support one another so thoroughly has been awesome.

Pat Kelsey making an appearance at football practice. ⁦@LouisvilleFB⁩ ⁦@LouisvilleMBB⁩ ⁦@WDRBNews⁩ pic.twitter.com/FJUbe8NHzM
— Tom Lane (@TomLaneWDRB) August 1, 2025

—What would conference realignment look like if college basketball, and not football, was running the show? According to this exercise, Louisville would still be in the ACC.

—Louisville didn’t receive any votes in the preseason men’s soccer coaches top 25 poll, but eight teams from the ACC are ranked in the top 20.

—It’s a big weekend at Lynn Family Stadium with Racing Louisville taking on KC Current tonight at 8 and Lou City hosting North Carolina FC Saturday night at 8. CC readers can get discounted tickets to both matches by going here.

—Ryan Conwell is a beast.

Change of scenery for the squad #GoCards pic.twitter.com/h8la6SsU3e
— Louisville Men's Basketball (@LouisvilleMBB) July 31, 2025

—Significant Louisville media news: The parent company of WAVE-3 is purchasing WDRB News and all other stations owned by Block Communications.

—Big shoutout to Million Podcasts for ranking the CC Podcast as the best Louisville podcast and the 51st-best college basketball podcast.

—Louisville Report is keeping tabs on the Madden ratings for former Cardinals now playing in the NFL.

—You try to give me a non-502 number and I’m moving to Portugal.

a new area code is coming to Louisville!

the 502 area code is running out of numbers so a new one with be announced soon that will cover the same region.

mandatory 10-digit dialing will begin on June 7, 2027... and the new code will be used starting July 5, 2027.
— Lachlan McLean (@LachTalk) July 31, 2025

—The CJ has a profile on Bordeaux, a 22-year-old Louisville YouTuber who plays EA Sports’ College Football 26 for a living.

—The Athletic breaks down what President Trump’s executive order to try and “save” college sports actually means.

—Memphis State has a ton of money and ambition, but no power conference wants them.

—Love this.

Cardinals For Life

Ended the summer with some special guests in the building - big thanks to @TheRussdiculous, @JordanNwora, @ChuckyHepburn and @the2kfranky for the run! #GoCards pic.twitter.com/Ne8yr7Wr4v
— Louisville Men's Basketball (@LouisvilleMBB) August 1, 2025

—Class of 2026 big man Josh Irving has scheduled a visit to Louisville for the weekend of Sept. 19. It’s one of seven visits that Irving currently has lined up.

—Good story here from Pat Forde on the possible long-term effects of constant transferring.

Here’s the problem: School connectedness, defined as the “belief by students that adults and peers in the school care about their learning as well as about them as persons,” was associated with lower prevalence of every risk behavior and experience examined in a 2021 study conducted by the CDC. While data specifically addressing the high school athlete transfer situation is sparse, it stands to reason that a school change could endanger an athlete’s sense of belonging every bit as much as a student in the general population.

Research indicates that may be the case at the college level. In a 2020 paper titled “College Athletes and the Influence of Academic and Athletic Investment on Sense of Belonging,” researchers from VCU and Cincinnati found transfer athletes “feel a lower sense of belonging on campus than non-transfer student-athletes.” Transferring isn’t a simple process, either: A survey published by Public Agenda in February found that more than half of respondents who have tried to transfer credits reported some degree of credit loss.

Multiple transfers can also disconnect athletes from other advantages to be gained from putting down roots on a college campus such as a friend group built on relationships developed over time and a familiar support network. NCAA literature on mental-health best practices stresses the need for professionals to “foster trust with athletes,” which can be difficult if they are moving from school to school.

“Sooner or later in life, you’re going to need your buddies,” says Michigan State men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo. “You’re going to need your friends. I am worried about mental health. I’m worried about what these [transferring] players are going to do in a year or two. If I’m wrong, that’s a good thing. But if I’m right, that’s sad.”

At many of the bigger athletic programs with successful teams, loyal alums are willing to extend job opportunities to former athletes—not necessarily stars, but those who put in four years at their shared alma mater.

“You’re going to be a former player for 50 years, don’t be a fool,” Purdue men’s basketball coach Matt Painter said at the 2024 Final Four. “Understand that your education from Purdue will take you a long way. But also the contacts that you will make and how you treat people will take you a long way.

“If you change [schools] three or four times, you don’t get your degree, don’t become a pro, don’t have any contacts, you didn’t take that opportunity and get any better, then what are we doing for young people?”

—Cardinal Sports previews the Louisville safeties.

—The U of L women’s tennis squad has added a freshman from Toronto.

—Friday Irrelevance:

Whoever dubbed this is great! pic.twitter.com/k4Q7xqEGrT
— The Figen (@TheFigen_) July 29, 2025

—Five things to do in the Louisville area this weekend.

—The CJ highlights the top 10 area linebackers for the upcoming high school football season.

—Brooks Holton is taking questions for his latest U of L basketball mailbag.

—Nice shot of Isaac Brown running wild against Kentucky is featured here.

ESPN released the 2025 College Football theme song for the network

“don’t wait run fast” by mgk pic.twitter.com/VNx9ICbPZO
— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) July 31, 2025

—The Kentucky Derby Museum has opened a new permanent fashion exhibit. Hopefully my torn “Carcetti for Mayor” from the 2007 infield made the cut.

—ACC football players answer questions (anonymously) about the rest of the league.

—Racing Louisville is hoping to keep up the momentum it head before its recent brief break.

—Guy just gets it.

.@patkelsey surprised some season ticket members and it went "off the rails" in the best way #GoCards pic.twitter.com/rtfuQozm4u
— Louisville Men's Basketball (@LouisvilleMBB) July 30, 2025

—Clev Lubin has been named to the Wuerffel Trophy Watch List.

—And finally, the Mike Rutherford Show is wrapping up the week from 2:30-5:30 this afternoon on 1450/96.1 The Big X. Tap in.

Video: Steve Ellis, Louisville cornerbacks talk after practice on Friday

2025-08-01T12:54:45-04:00

Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Secondary is perhaps the most intriguing group on this year’s Louisville football team.

Is it notable that U of L sent cornerbacks Rodney Johnson and Jabari Mack to meet with the media following the third day of fall camp? Perhaps.