Friday afternoon Cardinal news and notes

· Yahoo Sports

—It’s opening night for the Louisville volleyball team, which will look for revenge against reigning national champion Texas A&M at 6 p.m. in Milwaukee. ESPN2 will have the national television coverage.

—Clev Lubin has been named to the Bednarik Award watch list.

Visit saltysenoritaaz.org for more information.

—In addition to Seth Trimble, here’s a list of the other hoops players that were only protected by the Colorado case and will now need a state injunction to play in 2026-27.

—The NCAA has gotten to celebrate the rarity of all rarities: Two court victories in a single week.

—Jeff Brohm will meet with the media following the conclusion of tonight’s practice, which should be around 5:45 p.m.

—WLKY got an exclusive sit-down with Lamar Jackson ahead of the Ravens’ 2026 season.

—It’s the opening Friday of the 2026 Kentucky high school football season. Jason Frakes and company make their picks for the week 1 local games.

—The CJ’s Brooks Holton assigns superlatives to the Louisville men’s basketball non-conference schedule.

The Must-Win: Dec. 12 at Kentucky

Louisville’s first win over Kentucky since 2020 was a party from start to finish. But the 96-88 victory last November lost some of its luster as the season progressed and the Wildcats finished 22-14 and fell out of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

To stake their claim as the program to beat in a rivalry series they trail 40-18, the Cards must accomplish something that hasn’t been done since 2008: leave Rupp Arena with a W on Dec. 12.

They have the momentum. If not now, when?

UK is the most vulnerable opponent mentioned in this story, ranking 25th (18 spots behind UofL) in Torvik’s 2026-27 projections as of mid-August. Mark Pope returns only two players who saw the court during last season’s loss at the Yum! Center: center Malachi Moreno and guard Kam Williams. His most impactful addition, former Iowa State sharpshooter Milan Momcilovic, was also considering playing for Kelsey after withdrawing from the NBA draft pool. And he’s pushing to add ex-Missouri forward Mark Mitchell, who’s part of a “5-in-5” lawsuit that was filed in Louisville.

As if this matchup needed any more intrigue.

The Cards haven’t notched consecutive wins over Kentucky since the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons, when the latter was mired in the Billy Gillispie era. Simply put: That streak needs to end this go-around, especially if UofL struggles with the early portion of its nonconference schedule.

—Moussa Kamissoko, Rivals’ No. 8 overall hoops prospect in the 2027 class, has scheduled official visits to nine programs, including Louisville.

—C.L. Brown writes about the immediate test that U of L’s new co-defensive coordinators are going to receive on Sept. 6.

—Pat Kelsey talks with Gary Parrish about his roster assembly, his discovered love for Louisville, and the high expectations for the 2026-27 season ahead.

—Expect Lincoln Kienholz’s mobility to unlock new elements of Louisville’s run game this fall.

—Tayon Holloway is embracing more of a leadership role on the Louisville defense this season.

—Fifth-year Michigan State transfer Jaxon Kohler picked BYU over Kentucky on Thursday night.

—There’s no one in my life, wife included, that I could spend 2.5 hours on a Zoom with.

—Louisville got a handful of votes from anonymous coaches who were asked to predict the best team in college basketball for 2026-27.

—Flory Bidunga also received some votes from the same coaches as the best player in the country for 2026-27.

—The Louisville men’s soccer team opened its 2026 season with a 2-1 win over IU Indy on Thursday night.

—Stephen Lunney has been elevated to Associate Head Coach of Louisville men’s soccer.

—Butler High, stand up.

—The latest episode of the Starting 502 Podcast is here.

—Asa Montgomery, the No. 42 overall prospect in the class of 2027, has locked in a visit to U of L for this fall.

—Former Louisville women’s basketball guard and fan favorite Norika Konno was one of 12 players selected to Japan’s Women’s National Team that will compete in the upcoming 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup. The World Cup will be held in Berlin, Germany from September 4-13.

—Isaac Brown hasn’t been a full participant in fall camp practices so far, but he said earlier this week that the decision to be on the sidelines hasn’t been his.

“Yeah, I feel good. I’m feeling better though, and I’ve been feeling better. It’s just that they don’t want me out there,” he said Wednesday.

In fact, the all-purpose back told reporters that he has not been dealing with an injury during camp, and that Louisville – whether that be the training staff or coaching staff – has simply been precautious with him.

“I’ve been wanting to get back out there, but they’ve holding me (back) and putting me to the side,” he said. “But I’ve been telling them I’m ready to go back out there, and get back with my brothers and play with them.”

…

While Brown wound up finishing with a statistically great season last year, it was a step down from his true freshman campaign. He rushed for 1,173 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2024, and this went down to 884 and seven, respectively, in 2025.

For Brown, this proved to be a lesson that he needs to place a bigger emphasis on staying healthy. Not only for his upcoming junior year, but if he is to stick around in the NFL.

“I learned that you got to take care of your body to play the full season,” he said. “Last year, I wasn’t doing that. I was just out there. I feel like this year, I’m prepared to really play the whole season.”

—Brandon Sharp says that getting D’Angelo Hutchinson back at safety could be very big for his secondary.

—Sharp also says that the Cardinal defense has adopted the “Red Swarm” mantra that Sharp and company used during the 12-1 season of 2006.

—Pete Golding versus Jeff Brohm should be a battle of immensely gifted football minds.

—Isaac Brown makes the list of the 25 most intriguing non-quarterbacks for the 2026 college football season.

—I am dying to know just how bad this group chat was.

—The Brohm brothers appear to have found some real stability at the quarterback position heading into year four.

—We still have Flo and Bo, guys.

—Cardinal Authority looks at where U of L’s football commits are playing during week one of the high school football season (in most states).

—Louisville has moved its football game against FCS Richmond to week zero of the 2027 season. The Cards will play at South Florida in week one.

—A 5-star high school football phenom plans to enroll at Miami in January at a time when he will be just 16-years-old.

—And finally, the Mike Rutherford Show is wrapping up the week from 2:30-5:30 this afternoon on 1450/96.1 The Big X. You can stream the show on the Thornton’s YouTube stream, here. There is much to discuss.

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