Louisville Football Class of 2026 Commitments

Our database for all the Cardinals' commitments in the 2026 recruiting cycle.

A football lies on the turf of L&N Stadium during Louisville's spring game. / Jared Anderson - Louisville Report

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With two recruiting cycles in the books for the Louisville football program under head coach Jeff Brohm, the Cardinals are now heading into their first true full high school recruiting cycle with the Class of 2026.

This post will be updated when Louisville lands a commitment, and class ranks will be updated periodically. Bookmark this page for future reference.

Class Rankings (Updated Mar. 10, 2024)

• 247Sports Class Rank: 2nd in the ACC, 9th nationally
• Rivals Class Rank: 3rd in the ACC, 13th nationally
• On3 Class Rank: 7th in the ACC, 35th nationally

Committed Recruits (10):

Fort Thomas (Ky.) Highlands) offensive lineman Max Merz / via Instagram

Max Merz

Position: Offensive Lineman
Measurables: 6-foot-4, 310 pounds
School: Fort Thomas (Ky.) Highlands
Top Offers: Kent State, Marshall, Toledo, Troy
247Sports Composite Rating (Nat'l Rank): 0.8417 (994th)
Highlights and Evaluation: Click Here
Commitment Date: September 5, 2024

Aurora (Ind.) South Dearborn linebacker Brady Ballart / via Prep RedZone

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): 0.8544 (910th)
Highlights and Evaluation: Click Here
Commitment Date: September 8, 2024

Chiefland (Fla.) HS edge rusher Jon Adams / C.J. Gish via Main Street Daily News

Jon Adams

Position: Edge Rusher
Measurables: 6-foot-3, 200 pounds
School: Chiefland (Fla.) HS
Top Offers: FIU, Tulane
247Sports Composite Rating (Nat'l Rank): 0.8367 (1,028th)
Highlights and Evaluation: Click Here
Commitment Date: November 27, 2024

Crestwood (Ky.) South Oldham defensive lineman Sam Dawson / Twitter/X

Sam Dawson

Position: Defensive Line
Measurables: 6-foot-4, 275 pounds
School: Crestwood (Ky.) South Oldham
Top Offers: Eastern Kentucky
247Sports Composite Rating (Nat'l Rank): 0.8517 (930th)
Highlights and Evaluation: Click Here
Commitment Date: January 16, 2025

Oct 4, 2024; Galloway, Ohio, USA; Westland's Emoni Smith (1) celebrates following the OHSAA football game against Westerville North at Westland High School. Westland won 34-21. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Emoni Smith

Position: Wide Receiver/Safety
Measurables: 6-foot-1, 175 pounds
School: Galloway (Oh.) Westland
Top Offers: Kentucky, Michigan State, Purdue, USF, West Virginia
247Sports Composite Rating (Nat'l Rank): 0.8363 (721st)
Highlights and Evaluation: Click Here
Commitment Date: January 18, 2025

Chattanooga (Tenn.) Baylor School quarterback Briggs Cherry / Instagram

Briggs Cherry

Position: Quarterback
Measurables: 6-foot-4, 220 pounds
School: Chattanooga (Tenn.) Baylor School
Top Offers: App State, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, Pitt, Syracuse
247Sports Composite Rating (Nat'l Rank): 0.8767 (571st)
Highlights and Evaluation: Click Here
Commitment Date: January 28, 2025

Louisville (Ky.) St. Xavier linebacker Karsten Busch / via Twitter/X

Karsten Busch

Position: Linebacker
Measurables: 6-foot-3, 223 pounds
School: Louisville (Ky.) St. Xavier
Top Offers: Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan State, Wisconsin
247Sports Composite Rating (Nat'l Rank): 0.8807 (512th)
Highlights and Evaluation: Click Here
Commitment Date: Mar. 7, 2025

West Boca Raton (Fla.) HS cornerback Jaydin Broadnax / via Twitter/X

Jaydin Broadnax

Position: Cornerback
Measurables: 6-foot-3, 190 pounds
School: Boca Raton (Fla.) West Boca Raton
Top Offers: Florida, Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State, Tennessee
247Sports Composite Rating (Nat'l Rank): 0.9026 (319th)
Highlights and Evaluation: Click Here
Commitment Date: Mar. 7, 2025

Fort Myers (Fla.) HS offensive tackle Joel Ervin / via Twitter/X

Joel Ervin

Position: Offensive Tackle
Measurables: 6-foot-6, 310 pounds
School: Fort Myers (Fla.) HS
Top Offers: Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Miami, USC
247Sports Composite Rating (Nat'l Rank): 0.8693 (707th)
Highlights and Evaluation: Click Here
Commitment Date: Mar. 8, 2025

Louisville (Ky.) St. Xavier wide receiver/running back Marlon Harbin / via University of Louisville Athletics

Marlon Harbin

Position: Wide Receiver/Running Back/Cornerback
Measurables: 5-foot-11, 175 pounds
School: Louisville (Ky.) St. Xavier
Top Offers: Eastern Kentucky, Kentucky, Miami (Oh.), Toledo, UT Martin
247Sports Composite Rating (Nat'l Rank): 0.8693 (709th)
Highlights and Evaluation: Click Here
Commitment Date: Mar. 10, 2025

Owensboro (Ky.) HS running back Evan Hampton / via Owensboro High School

Evan Hampton

Position: Running Back
Measurables: 6-foot-0, 208 pounds
School: Owensboro (Ky.) HS
Top Offers: Kentucky, Michigan, Penn State, Stanford, Wisconsin
247Sports Composite Rating (Nat'l Rank): 0.9008 (333rd)
Highlights and Evaluation: Click Here
Commitment Date: Mar. 17, 2025

(Photo via Jared Anderson - Louisville Cardinals On SI)

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