Highlights & Evaluation: Louisville LB Commit Brady Ballart

Louisville Report breaks down 2026 Louisville football linebacker commit Brady Ballart.

Aurora (Ind.) South Dearborn linebacker Brady Ballart / Sandy Mahoney via TriStateFootball.com

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville football program has nabbed their first defensive commitment of the 2026 cycle, as Brady Ballart has given his verbal pledge to the Cardinals.

Here is Louisville Report's full evaluation:

Prospect: Brady Ballart
Position: Inside Linebacker/Running Back
Measurables: 6-foot-2, 213 pounds
School: Aurora (Ind.) South Dearborn
Top Offers: Ball State, Eastern Michigan, Miami (Oh.), Toledo
247Sports Composite Rating (Nat'l Rank): N/A

Brady Ballert's Sophomore Year Highlights: HERE (Hudl)

Frame: Has about the height you want out of an inside back, as well as moderately broad shoulders. Wingspan is certainly above average for his position. Definitely needs to add weight if he will stay at ILB, but he has plenty of time to do so.

Athleticism: At this stage, Ballart is fairly agile for an inside linebacker. He has good open field speed, as well as great burst. He has decent amount of overall strength on film, but could be better.

Instincts: Arguably Ballart's best football trait is that he does very well at tracking the football. He does a good job at watching the play develop in the backfield, then once the play is diagnosed, he uses his great closing speed to get to the ball carrier fairly quickly. Additionally, he takes some good pursuit angles on the edges. When sitting in zone coverage against the pass, Ballart does a solid job patiently sitting in his zone watching the quarterback. His aforementioned burst also bodes well when making breaks on the ball while it's in the air.

Polish: Ballart has also taken reps at running back, and has displayed - as you can imagine - good power and vision. While his his measurables and overall frame wouldn't suggest it, Ballart actually delivers harder hits that expected. He has decent overall tackling form, but definitely dives for legs on tackle attempts a little too often. While his best work against the run comes on the edges, Ballart is so-so at doing it between the tackles. He does well when it comes to taking contact on his interior blitzes, but definitely needs to work on his timing when shooting the gap. While he's solid in zone coverage, he has a tendency to flip his hips too much and not keep them square with the LOS.

Bottom Line: Overall, this is solid pickup for Louisville. He absolutely has to continue bulking up and needs to clean up some of his fundamentals with tackling and in pass coverage, but early on, Ballart has displaying some upside when it comes to playing against the run. He likely projects as a weakside linebacker at the college level.

(Photo of Brady Ballart: Sandy Mahoney via TriStateFootball.com)

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