2026 Louisville Football Depth Chart

Louisville enters 2026 with its fourth consecutive portal quarterback, and this time the spotlight belongs to Lincoln Kienholz, a former top-10 QB from Ohio State’s 2023 class who never won the starting job in Columbus. The Cards are banking on his athleticism and accuracy translating to Jeff Brohm’s RPO-friendly system — a logical bet given that Brohm extracts production from young signal-callers. Davin Wydner, a West Georgia transfer with Ole Miss roots and a similar dual-threat profile, slots in as QB2, while 4-star freshman Briggs Cherry will push for backup reps over incumbent Ryan Zimmerman. From a dynasty perspective, Kienholz carries real breakout upside if the rebuilt offensive line gels, but footwork-through-progressions concerns are legitimate for a QB with minimal live-game reps at a Power program.

The skill position hierarchy is headlined by Isaac Brown, one of the most dominant backs in college football who Louisville retained despite heavy outside interest — a massive win for fantasy owners. Keyjuan Brown is a legit RB2 coming off a career year, and Missouri transfer Marquise Davis (former blue-chip recruit) rounds out an elite three-headed backfield. The receiving corps was stripped bare after losing Chris Bell and Caullin Lacy, but Brohm reloaded with FSU transfer Lawayne McCoy and 4-star Tre Richardson as the top two targets. Returner Kris Hughes and TreyShun Hurry provide the intermediate-route depth, while slot options Montavin Quisenberry and Drake transfer Jackson Voth fill the bottom of the rotation.

At tight end, Tulsa transfer Brody Foley is a genuine dynasty asset — a 6-foot-6 mismatch who posted 37 catches, 528 yards, and 7 TDs last season and ranks as a top-5 TE in the portal class. Jaleel Skinner, Louisville’s leading returning pass-catcher from 2025, backs him up and provides real upside. Former walk-on Nick Keller earned a scholarship and takes over placekicking after Cooper Ranvier transferred, making him speculative but the clear incumbent heading into spring.