In ESPN’s 2025 College Football Playoff projection, Louisville football was picked to win its first ACC title and make its first playoff appearance as the No. 4 seed.
The road to the 2025 CFP bracket will be a long one for the Cardinals, who’d have to get through Miami, 2024 ACC champion SMU and Clemson. They have historic wins over the Hurricanes and Tigers over the past two seasons but lost to the Mustangs in SMU’s debut season in the conference.
Louisville will look to get it done with a new cast that’ll include at least 12 new starters — six on offense and six on defense — in Year 3 under Jeff Brohm. USC transfer Miller Moss is locked in as the starting quarterback, but there will be plenty of competition at other positions. Despite the turnover, U of L will have consistency at running back with Isaac Brown and Duke Watson returning for their encore performances in 2025 after stellar freshman campaigns.
All the pieces will begin to come together when spring practices start March 3, culminating in the squad’s spring game April 11. Here’s a look at what’s ahead:
Miller Moss as QB1
For as well as Brohm has done in signing talent out of the transfer portal, no position has been more successful for Louisville than quarterback. Even though there will be a different starting quarterback for the fourth straight year, the production has increased each time. Jack Plummer had a higher completion percentage (64.8) and more passing yards (3,204) than Tyler Shough (62.7, 3,195) and made the program’s first ACC championship game. Shough had half as many interceptions (6), two more touchdowns (23-21), averaged more passing yards per game (266.3-228.9) and had a higher QB rating (148.1-144.4).
Moss will look to take Louisville’s offense to another level. Like Plummer and Shough, Moss comes to Louisville with one year of eligibility. Despite getting benched at the end of the 2024 season, Moss, a California native who backed up Caleb Williams in 2023, ended his time with the Trojans with 3,469 passing yards and 27 touchdowns. ESPN ranked him as the No. 3 portal quarterback, and 247Sports ranked him eighth. Described as a refined pocket passer, Moss, whom Brohm recruited out of high school, can complete passes in small windows and will thrive with the right pieces around him.
Defensive line overhaul
It’s been a while since a Louisville football roster hasn’t included three-year starters Ashton Gillotte and Dez Tell as well as Ramon Puryear. The three defensive linemen graduated, leaving Jordan Guerad as the lone returning starter on the line. Between the transfer portal and graduation, Guerad was one of only eight returning defensive linemen.
Prioritizing the position with portal players was key in December. The Cardinals signed five newcomers, two of whom are ranked among the top 100 portal defensive linemen: Jerry Lawson (70) and Clev Lubin (75). Lawson, who has played multiple positions on the line, and Lubin, who has played on the edge, come to Louisville having starting experience at Abilene Christian and Coastal Carolina, respectively. They also led their teams in tackles for loss and are strong contenders for two of the vacant starting spots.
Louisville’s defensive line will have a new look this season and high expectations of helping the defense improve after taking a step back in 2024. After allowing only 99.8 rushing yards per game in 2023, the group gave up 132.5 rushing yards per outing in 2024. Similarly, the Cardinals’ allowed passing yards went from 217.3 (2023) to 236.2 (2024), and total offensive yards increased by more than 50 yards per game (317.1 to 368.7).
Other transfers to watch
Although a high level of importance was placed on the Cardinals’ offensive and defensive lines when the portal was open, Louisville also added notable players at other positions who will be worth watching during the spring. One of the biggest gets was Tennessee transfer Kalib Perry, who was ranked as the ninth-best linebacker in the portal. The Cardinals have a strong starting cast at the position with TJ Quinn and Stanquan Clark. Perry helps to bring experience and depth to the spot after Quinn and Clark combined for 1,353 snaps last season. No other two players at the same position had more combined snaps.
Safety and cornerback will be of particular interest with all four starters gone. All four vacancies could be filled by newcomers. Jojo Evans and Corey Gordon will be two to watch at safety.
Concerns at tight end?
Despite making significant additions to the offensive and defensive lines, the Cardinals didn’t add a tight end. If they don’t do so in April, it would be the first time since Brohm’s arrival that Louisville didn’t add one. U of L added Joey Gatewood in 2023 then signed Mark Redman, Jaleel Skinner and Male High School graduate Izayah Cummings in 2024. But Redman graduated, and Jamari Johnson, who was poised to be next in line as an impact player, transferred to Oregon. Cummings decided to leave after tallying 33 yards on three catches in four games played. .Skinner initially entered the transfer portal but withdrew his name.
Tight end is a crucial position in Brohm’s offense. Last year, Redman blocked on 57% of snaps played but was also the team’s third-leading receiver with 256 yards and three touchdowns on 24 catches. In Brohm’s final two seasons at Purdue, nearly half of Payne Durham’s snaps were dedicated to blocking. Durham, who plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was the Boilermakers’ fourth-leading receiver in 2021 and second-leading receiver a year later.
This spring, Nate Kurisky, the presumed 2025 starter, is the only tight end to have played more than 30 snaps last season for the Cardinals. The squad has six rostered tight ends, which includes midyear enrollee Grant Houser, and will need to use the spring to get quality reps for each one ahead of the fall.
Deion Branch as new WRs coach
Coaching changes affect every program — eventually. After Louisville kept its football coaching staff in place for two years, wide receivers coach Garrick McGee left to take the same job at North Carolina under Bill Belichick. The Cardinals didn’t have to look far for their next receivers coach, hiring Deion Branch. Branch played for the Cardinals and was three years into his role as the football team’s director of player development and alumni relations.
Branch has never coached a position in college but served as the Cardinals’ interim head coach for the 2022 Fenway Bowl. Despite Branch’s lack of experience, the immediate advantages are his familiarity with the players and successful playing career at the college and professional levels. He’s the fifth coach on staff to have played in the NFL, and he’s the most successful. During his time in the league, the Georgia native won two Super Bowls and one Super Bowl MVP.
Branch is scheduled to make his debut when spring practices begin in March.
Reach Louisville football, women’s basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville football: Jeff Brohm puts pieces together ahead of spring
