2026 Louisville Football Guide: Running Backs

As we begin to wind down our preview of the 2026 Louisville football roster, we shift our attention to the backfield, where we preview Louisville’s running back group.

2025 Rewind

Louisville struggled in the first half of the season to generate a consistent rushing attack, rushing for 585 yards on 137 attempts* (4.2 yards per carry). This included back-to-back games against Pittsburgh and Virginia, where both teams held the Cardinals to under 60 rushing yards as a team.

But in the second half of the season, Louisville turned it on with their ground game and became a force. The Cardinals rushed for a season-high 317 yards against Boston College, including Isaac Brown’s 205 on the ground. They also had 235 the following week against Boston College, and 258 in their 41-0 shutout win over Kentucky.

Isaac Brown had multiple injuries throughout the 2025 season, including a hamstring injury that sidelined him for the final four games of the regular season. But he had an outstanding season when available, leading the team in rushing yards (884) and had seven touchdowns on 8.8 yards per carry. Isaac Brown also had six 100-yard games last season, including his first 200-yard outing against Boston College.

Keyjuan Brown had a breakout year in 2025, highlighted by his fill-in as the starter in November. Keyjuan Brown had back-to-back 130+ yard performances against California and Clemson, had a 112-yard outing against Toledo in the Boca Raton Bowl, and finished with 704 yards and six rushing touchdowns on 7.3 yards per carry.

Additionally, Louisville had two walk-ons — Braxton Jennings and Shaun Boykins, Jr. — who each rushed for 100 yards in the Cards’ 41-0 win over rival Kentucky. Since running backs coach Chris Barclay joined the program alongside Jeff Brohm in 2023, Louisville has now seen eight players have a 100-yard game on the ground.

*author’s note – this does not include sack yardage, which is factored into rushing totals in college football statistics.

Notable Departures

• RB Duke Watson (transferred to UCF)
• RB/WR Shaun Boykins, Jr. (transferred to Delaware State)
• RB Jamarice Wilder (transferred to Southern Miss)

2026 Preview

I said it in last year’s breakdown of the running back group, but running backs coach Chris Barclay has done an outstanding job as an assistant since arriving at Louisville with Jeff Brohm in 2023. The proof is evident, with eight different backs having 100-yard games under Brohm and Barclay, and Louisville consistently having one of the best rushing attacks in the ACC during the last three seasons.

This year, Louisville has an embarrassment of riches at the running back spot. Isaac Brown and Keyjuan Brown both return to form one of the best running back tandems not just in the ACC, but the entire sport.

Isaac Brown is one of the best running backs in college football entering the 2026 season. He’s firmly in my tier one of running backs in CFB this year (alongside Missouri’s Ahmad Hardy and Ole Miss’s Kewan Lacy), and if he can avoid injuries that hampered him during last year, will almost assuredly be in the mix for All-ACC, All-American honors and several awards in December. He has legitimate game breaking speed and has the ability to simply outrun guys in space. While he hasn’t had a chance to flash his chops often as a receiver out of the backfield, Brown definitely has the potential to be a threat there with his speed.

Keyjuan Brown is another great player in Louisville’s backfield, and he complements Isaac Brown’s skill set very well. Keyjuan showed more burst and had great performances in November, showing his ability as an inside runner and getting chunk yards. You could see Keyjuan Brown take over games late when Louisville needs to chew the clock in late-game scenarios, and with quarterback Lincoln Kienholz being more of a runner than Jeff Brohm’s previous three starters, that could open the door for Louisville to run more read option or RPO-style plays.

As if having the Brown’s wasn’t evident of their talent level, Louisville also added two more players in transfer Marquise Davis and Lehky Thompkins. Davis comes to Louisville after spending last season at Missouri, and was a former four-star recruit out of Ohio (per 247Sports). Thompkins is a huge back at 6’2″ and 235 lbs., but he can show some burst at the line of scrimmage and be an asset in pass protection. Add in a returning Braxton Jennings, who is a tough runner that can bounce off tackle and get 10-15 yards in a flash, and Louisville has an embarrassment of riches at the position for 2026.

Projected Starter: Isaac Brown

Key Reserves: Keyjuan Brown, Marquise Davis, Lehky Thompkins, Braxton Jennings