ACC FOOTBALL COMPANION GUIDE • ALPHABETICAL 7 OF 17
2026 Season Snapshot • Louisville, Kentucky
9+ wins (3rd straight under Brohm)
ACC
Live schedule, lines and results for Louisville.
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HEAD COACH
Jeff Brohm — 4th season at Louisville
LIFETIME COACHING RECORD
Multiple programs; 29–10 at Louisville
A former Louisville quarterback (1989-93) who built winning programs at Western Kentucky and Purdue before returning to his alma mater in Dec. 2022. Delivered three straight nine-or-more-win seasons, the program's first- ever ACC title game appearance (2023), and the program's first-ever win over Clemson at Death Valley (2024) — rewarded with a market-resetting extension after fielding real interest from Penn State.
LOUISVILLE ATS RECORD
No single published career ATS figure
Louisville has posted three straight nine-win seasons under Brohm, including a 24-21 road win over Miami in 2025 (the highest-ranked opponent ever beaten on the road) and a first-ever shutout of rival Kentucky since 2004 (41- 0) — real, sustained, historic-marker-setting success.
HEAD COACH SALARY (2026)
$6.3M
TEAM NIL VALUATION (EST.)
Not disclosed
PRIMARY NIL COLLECTIVE
Not publicly named
Coach salary per ESPN/CBS Sports (8-yr, $64.8M extension through 2033, approved April 2026 after Brohm fielded interest from Penn State and others; base rises to $8.7M by 2032). Louisville has not disclosed a team NIL figure, though AD Josh Heird has publicly acknowledged managing separate coaching and revenue-sharing budget lines has become significantly more complex.
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Jeff Brohm (play-caller) • Multiple
Brohm calls his own plays around Isaac Brown, who Eddie George compared to a Pro Football Hall of Famer during his 2025 breakout. Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz takes over at QB, throwing to two incoming 4- star portal receivers (Tre Richardson, Lawayne McCoy) brought in specifically to raise the offensive ceiling.
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Multiple • Returning system
Louisville's defense helped anchor the program's third straight nine-win season in 2025, including the historic road win at Miami and the shutout of Kentucky — real, proven continuity heading into 2026.
2025 RECORD
9+ wins (3rd straight under Brohm)
Beat Miami 24-21 on the road (highest-ranked opponent ever beaten away from home) and shut out rival Kentucky 41-0 (first shutout in the series since 2004) — two real, historic-marker wins in the same season.
HOME FIELD
L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium
Artificial turf (FieldTurf), Louisville. A program with real, sustained momentum under its alma mater coach — three straight nine-win seasons and a locked- up coach through 2033 make this one of the more stable situations in the ACC.
| SLOT | PLAYER | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB1 | Lincoln Kienholz | — | ★★★★★ | TOP TRANSFER Four-star signee (T.F. Riggs HS, Pierre, S.D.; South Dakota's all-time passing leader, 9,100 yds). Ohio State transfer brought in to lead the offense in 2026, part of a real, deliberate skill-position upgrade around Isaac Brown. |
| RB1 | Isaac Brown | — | ★★★★★ | Four-star signee (Homestead HS, Homestead, Fla.); 2026 Athlon Preseason Second-Team All-America selection. Rushed for 2,057 yds, 18 TD over two seasons, ripping off seven 30+ yard runs in just nine games in 2025. |
| WR1 | Tre Richardson | — | ★★★★★ | TOP TRANSFER Four-star portal addition, one of two receivers (with Lawayne McCoy) specifically brought in to make the passing attack more dynamic around a new starting quarterback. |
Four-star signee (T.F. Riggs HS, Pierre, S.D.; South Dakota's all-time passing leader, 9,100 yds). Ohio State transfer brought in to lead the offense in 2026, part of a real, deliberate skill-position upgrade around Isaac Brown.
Four-star signee (Homestead HS, Homestead, Fla.); 2026 Athlon Preseason Second-Team All-America selection. Rushed for 2,057 yds, 18 TD over two seasons, ripping off seven 30+ yard runs in just nine games in 2025.
Four-star portal addition, one of two receivers (with Lawayne McCoy) specifically brought in to make the passing attack more dynamic around a new starting quarterback.
| PLAYER | POS | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Line protecting a new QB | OL | — | ★★★★★ | Tasked with protecting Kienholz in his first season leading the offense; specific 2026 starters to be confirmed closer to Week 1. |
Tasked with protecting Kienholz in his first season leading the offense; specific 2026 starters to be confirmed closer to Week 1.
| PLAYER | POS | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Front seven with real continuity | DL | Part of a defense that helped deliver the historic road win at Miami and the shutout of Kentucky in 2025; real, proven continuity heading into 2026. |
Part of a defense that helped deliver the historic road win at Miami and the shutout of Kentucky in 2025; real, proven continuity heading into 2026.
| PLAYER | POS | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secondary with proven 2025 | — | — | Part of the defense that shut out Kentucky and beat Miami on the road; specific 2026 starters to be confirmed closer to Week 1. |
| — | DB | ★★★★★ | |
| results | — | — |
Part of the defense that shut out Kentucky and beat Miami on the road; specific 2026 starters to be confirmed closer to Week 1.
2025 ATS
4-9
30.8% cover rate — 79th of 82
2025 Straight up
9-4
Point differential +114
Scoring environment
51.1
Combined points per game — 47th highest of 82
Home / road ATS
1-7 · 3-1
Totals 6-7 O/U (4-4 home, 1-3 road)
Points scored / allowed
29.9 per game scored (34th) · 21.2 allowed (30th)
Margin & schedule
Margin of victory +8.8 (28th) · Strength of schedule -1.2
SRS power rating
+5.8
30th of 82 — projected points vs. a league-average team on a neutral field
Offensive SRS
+3.5
36th of 82
Defensive SRS
+4.3
31st of 82
Points (margin of victory)
+8.8 · 28th of 82
Against the spread
4-9 (30.8%) · 79th of 82
Totals (combined PPG)
51.1 · 47th of 82
Computed from CollegeFootballData 2025 results and closing consensus lines.
Saved Just J research for Louisville.
Brohm drew genuine interest from Penn State before Louisville locked him up through 2033 — AD Josh Heird explicitly acknowledged the deal took longer because balancing coaching pay against revenue-sharing/NIL budgets is now "more complex" than it used to be.
RB Isaac Brown drew a Hall of Fame comparison from Eddie George in 2025; QB Lincoln Kienholz (Ohio State transfer) and two 4-star portal receivers (Tre Richardson, Lawayne McCoy) were added specifically to keep the offense dynamic.
Louisville's road win at Miami was the highest-ranked opponent the program has ever beaten away from home — a genuine signal of how far the program has climbed under Brohm.
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