Louisville running back Isaac Brown will return for the 2026 season, per On3’s Pete Nakos and Hayes Fawcett. He just wrapped up his sophomore season with the Cardinals and will have two more years of eligibility remaining. The news comes after it was previously reported that Brown planned to enter the portal, which opened Friday. […]
Louisville running back Isaac Brown will return for the 2026 season, per On3’s Pete Nakos and Hayes Fawcett. He just wrapped up his sophomore season with the Cardinals and will have two more years of eligibility remaining.
The news comes after it was previously reported that Brown planned to enter the portal, which opened Friday. Now he’ll be back for a third year in Louisville and should be one of the best running backs in the ACC.
Brown was named All-ACC third team this past season after he rushed for 782 yards and five touchdowns despite playing in only eight games due to a season-ending injury. He still led the conference in rushing yards per attempt (8.8).
As a true freshman in 2024, Brown won both the ACC Rookie of the Year and ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year in addition to being named as a freshman All-American according to several outlets. He became the first freshman in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, finishing with 1,173 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Brown played high school football for Homestead (FL), where he was a three-star prospect in the 2024 class. He ranked as the No. 546 overall player and No. 42 running back in the cycle according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, an equally weighted average that utilizes all three major recruiting services.
The return of Isaac Brown is a huge boost for Louisville, which is coming off of a 9-4 finish this past season. Prior to making the decision to leave the portal, Brown ranked as the No. 5 overall transfer and No. 1 running back according to On3’s transfer portal rankings.
Changes coming for the transfer portal this offseason
The 15-day transfer portal this winter will be the only window, opening Jan. 2 and closing on Jan. 16. The NCAA opted to eliminate the spring transfer portal window for football, meaning this will be the only opportunity for student athletes to enter their names.
The move to a one-time-only portal is supposed to allow schools to finish their season with their entire team before the transfer portal opens. As has been the previous standard, athletes on College Football Playoff teams still playing would have 5 days beginning the day after their team’s final game to enter the transfer portal.
This season’s CFP semifinals are set for Jan. 8 and 9. The CFP national championship game is scheduled for Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Category: General Sports
