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- DL: Louisville football edge rusher Clev Lubin is chasing big goals this season as the leader of the Cardinals' defense www.on3.com

- Louisville's new co-defensive coordinators Mark Ivey and Steve Ellis replace Ron English in 2026, with Ivey taking defensive play-calling responsibility for the first time in his career. - Louisville's edge rotation pairs Clev Lubin and AJ Green with North Carolina transfer Tyler Thompson, whose seven sacks last season add proven pass-rush production alongside Lubin's 8.5 sacks and Green's four. - Louisville's aggressive defense allowed several explosive offensive plays in its first preseason scrimmage but rebounded sufficiently in the second to draw praise from coaches, leaving consistency under the new play-caller an opening-game question.

- Ole Miss was listed as a 6.5-point favorite over Louisville with a 55.5 total for the neutral-site opener in Nashville, where the forecast called for an 88-degree kickoff temperature. - Louisville's defense ranked 16th nationally at 303.1 yards allowed per game and returns five starters, led by edge rusher Clev Lubin after 8.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss. - Louisville turns its offense over to Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz, a career backup, but surrounds him with explosive returning backs Isaac Brown and Keyjuan Brown, who averaged 8.8 and 7.3 yards per carry last season.

- Louisville's unofficial opener projection places Lincoln Kienholz at quarterback, Isaac Brown at running back, Tre Richardson, LaWayne McCoy and TreyShun Hurry at receiver, and Brody Foley at tight end. - The projected Louisville offensive line is Lance Robinson, Eryx Daugherty, Evan Wibberley, Johnnie Brown III and Cason Henry from left to right, with Robinson also listed as the backup center. - Louisville's projected defensive front pairs edge rushers Clev Lubin and AJ Green with tackles Demeco Kennedy and Joshua Donald, while Stanquan Clark and T.J. Capers lead the linebacker projection. - The projected Louisville secondary starts Tayon Holloway and Kaleb Beasley at corner, DJ Waller and Koen Entringer at safety, and Antonio Watts at the STAR position.

- Isaac Brown has averaged 8.8 yards per carry with 21 percent of his attempts gaining at least 10 yards, making his health the key condition behind projections that he leads Louisville in touchdowns and all-purpose production. - Both analysts projected dual-threat quarterback Lincoln Kienholz to lead Louisville in total yards, with one setting 3,500 combined passing and rushing yards as the benchmark for a productive offense. - Tulsa transfer Brody Foley is back to health after offseason injuries and enters 2026 as a potential scoring surprise after producing seven receiving touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns last season. - Edge rusher Clev Lubin returns after leading Louisville with 8.5 sacks, and the Cardinals' depth around him could prevent opponents from concentrating protection solely on him. - Jeff Brohm said defensive back Jabari Mack is eligible and available for the Ole Miss opener after Mack recorded two interceptions in each of the past two seasons.

- Louisville enters the neutral-site Ole Miss opener as a 6.5-point underdog with four new offensive-line starters and only 250 career passing yards from first-time starting quarterback Lincoln Kienholz. - Louisville's established offensive advantage is the backfield, where Isaac Brown averaged a national-best 8.8 yards per carry last season and Keyjuan Brown averaged 7.3. - Louisville's ACC-leading 2025 pass defense faces an Ole Miss offense that led the SEC at 313.3 passing yards and 498.7 total yards per game last season. - Louisville edge Clev Lubin enters the matchup with a 91.4 PFF grade that the article identifies as the best among ACC players at his position.

- Louisville returns corners Holloway and Mack, while Waller's length gives him the developmental ceiling to become the secondary's shutdown option. - Beasley held the practice edge in the safety competition, and Louisville expects the eventual starter to bring SEC experience to the communication-heavy quarterback role in the back end.

- DL: Coach is going to call his game, and he's always pretty aggressive and on the cutting edge of doing innovative things.