Tag: Louisville Cardinals

Former Alabama transfer named semifinalist for Biletnikoff Award

A former Alabama transfer has been named a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award.

When it comes to players who transferred out of the Alabama Crimson Tide football program this past offseason, there are arguably few who have gone on to see more immediate success this year than Ja’Corey Brooks.

RELATED: How every Alabama offseason transfer has performed so far in 2024

A former five-star wide receiver, Brooks was an immediate impact player at Alabama, going on to spend three seasons with the Crimson Tide from 2021-23.

Over that span, Brooks appeared in 37 games with the Crimson Tide, a span in which he had a combined 57 receptions for 896 yards and 10 touchdowns.

As mentioned previously however, Brooks transferred this past offseason, where the wide receiver ended up with the Louisville Cardinals in a move that has certainly proved to be impactful for the former five-star.

So far this season, Brooks has simply been one of the top wide receivers in all of college football at Louisville, hauling in a career-high 57 receptions for an ACC-leading 945 yards and eight touchdowns. Brooks has also served as both a kickoff and punt returner at times for Louisville, and as a result of his season, was recently named a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award.

The award recognizes the top wide receiver in college football, with Alabama also having a semifinalist themselves in star freshman Ryan Williams.

Miami loss throws the ACC into chaos in new US LBM Coaches Poll after Week 11

Here’s how the US LBM Coaches Poll sees the top of the ACC after a wild weekend.

USA TODAY Sports released the updated US LBM Coaches Poll on Sunday, and with no undefeated teams left in the ACC, all semblance of order in the conference left the room.

The Miami Hurricanes, after completing double-digit comebacks over Virginia Tech, California, and Duke in the second half, finally came up short when star quarterback Cam Ward fumbled the ball away against Georgia Tech in the final two minutes. The Yellow Jackets ran out the clock for a 28-23 win, giving them another marquee victory for the season and knocking Miami down to 12th in the rankings.

Nine days ago, the Clemson Tigers would have been seen as the natural successor to Ward and the Hurricanes. However, after last week’s loss at the hands of Louisville, the Tigers trailed Virginia Tech by seven points at halftime on Saturday. While Clemson eventually put the victory away, the Tigers still only moved up to 16th.

Now, the SMU Mustangs stand as the last team without a loss in conference play. Rhett Lashlee and his program, now 13th in the Coaches Poll, control their own destiny for the College Football Playoff. And if Duke football fans squint, they can see a vote for the Blue Devils at the very bottom of the results.

Check out the complete results of the new US LBM Coaches Poll below:

Rank Team Record Points
1 Oregon Ducks 10-0 1,375 (55)
2 Ohio State Buckeyes 8-1 1,314
3 Texas Longhorns 8-1 1,262
4 Tennessee Volunteers 8-1 1,138
5 Penn State Nittany Lions 8-1 1,113
6 Indiana Hoosiers 10-0 1,057
7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 8-1 1,038
8 BYU Cougars 9-0 994
9 Alabama Crimson Tide 7-2 899
10 Georgia Bulldogs 7-2 887
11 Ole Miss Rebels 8-2 877
12 Miami Hurricanes 9-1 820
13 SMU Mustangs 8-1 691
14 Boise State Broncos 8-1 691
15 Texas A&M Aggies 7-2 597
16 Clemson Tigers 7-2 536
17 Army Black Knights 9-0 466
18 Washington State Cougars 8-1 385
19 Kansas State Wildcats 7-2 332
20 Colorado Buffaloes 7-2 329
21 Missouri Tigers 7-2 277
22 LSU Tigers 6-3 257
23 South Carolina Gamecocks 6-3 118
24 Louisville Cardinals 6-3 109
25 Iowa State Cyclones 7-2 92

Dropped Out

No. 23 Pittsburgh; No. 25 Vanderbilt

Receiving Votes

Tulane 85; Louisiana 42; Arizona State 30; Pittsburgh 28; UNLV 17; Memphis 11; Navy 3; James Madison 2; Illinois 2; Duke 1

Meet the teams Kentucky has to beat to make a bowl game

Kentucky football must win each of their remaining three games to make it to a ninth straight bowl game.

There was a lot of promise coming into the 2024 Kentucky football season. The roster had a lot of veteran leadership, a former five-star quarterback, and elite talents on the defensive side of the ball, including Deone Walker, a projected first round draft pick.

However, after beating Ole Miss to get to 3 – 2, things have gone downhill. Injuries have mounted and they haven’t gotten the play they hoped for under center. The Wildcats have lost four straight games, and are barely clinging to hopes of making a ninth straight bowl game.

Related: Week 10 SEC football power rankings

At 3 – 6, Kentucky now has to win each of their last three game, but it is a daunting task. Here are the games they have remaining:

Murray State

After their upcoming bye week, the Cats get an opponent they should beat. Murray State is 1 – 8 on the year, and losers of six straight. Kentucky has played well against non-conference foes this year, and they should win this one.

Texas

The Longhorns are one of the best teams in the country, and are the biggest obstacle remaining. Led by quarterback Quinn Ewers, Texas can put up points in a hurry, and if Kentucky is to have a chance, they’ll need to not only play their best defensively, but they’ll have to score some points, which hasn’t been their strong suit.

Louisville

The Wildcats have won six of the last seven matchups with Louisville, but anything can happen in this in-state rivalry. Louisville stands at 6 – 3 currently, and they just beat a good Clemson Tigers team. This will be a big game, even if Kentucky is out of bowl contention.

Why UCLA and Louisville women’s basketball teams are playing in Paris

UCLA and Louisville open the season in Paris. Here’s the lovely reason why.

College basketball is back, and UCLA and Louisville kick off the 2024-2025 season for women’s hoops in Paris, France.

Why are the Bruins and Cardinals in Paris? There’s actually a really awesome reason.

In 2023, when South Carolina and Notre Dame opened the season with massive success in Aflac’s first Oui Play event, Aflac decided to continue investing in women’s basketball and continue the game for a second season — but with a twist. This year, UCLA plays Louisville at Adidas Arena in Paris as part of a doubleheader. The Bruins and Cardinals will compete at 2:30 p.m. ET. on November 4 after a 12:00 p.m. ET matchup between USC and Ole Miss.

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That’s it — pretty cool stuff. Enjoy the season!

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SMU emerges as Miami’s top ACC competitor in new US LBM Coaches Poll

Here’s how the US LBM Coaches Poll sees the top of the ACC after a wild weekend.

USA TODAY Sports released the updated US LBM Coaches Poll on Sunday after the top of the ACC got shaken up over the weekend.

The Miami Hurricanes trailed Duke by as many as 11 points in the second half, but five touchdowns over the final 25 minutes helped star quarterback Cam Ward and his teammates remain undefeated.

The Clemson Tigers and Pittsburgh Panthers weren’t so lucky. After winning six games in a row, the Tigers saw their playoff chances dwindle to a prayer after the Louisville Cardinals came into their stadium and left with a 33-21 victory.

The Panthers, who won their first seven games of the season, never stood a chance on the road against a motivated SMU team. Running back Brashard Smith ran for 161 yards and scored three total touchdowns as the Mustangs led by 37 points with five minutes to play, and two late Pitt touchdowns could only salvage a 48-25 final score.

SMU and Miami now sit in the driver’s seat for the ACC Championship Game as the only teams undefeated in conference play. The Hurricanes rose to fourth in this week’s voting while the Mustangs shifted all the way up to 15th.

Clemson tumbled down to 17th with their defeat, and the Panthers fell all the way down to 23rd. But here come the Cardinals near the bottom of the rankings, second among the teams receiving votes for an unofficial spot at 27th.

Check out the complete results of the new US LBM Coaches Poll below:

Rank Team Record Points
1 Oregon Ducks 9-0 1,349 (53)
2 Georgia Bulldogs 7-1 1,267 (1)
3 Ohio State Buckeyes 7-1 1,245
4 Miami Hurricanes 9-0 1,194
5 Texas Longhorns 7-1 1,138
6 Tennessee Volunteers 7-1 1,039
7 Penn State Nittany Lions 7-1 982
8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 7-1 961
9 BYU Cougars 8-0 918
10 Indiana Hoosiers 9-0 916
11 Alabama Crimson Tide 6-2 772
12 Ole Miss Rebels 7-2 657
13 LSU Tigers 6-2 653
14 Boise State Broncos 7-1 615
15 SMU Mustangs 8-1 603
16 Texas A&M Aggies 6-2 518
17 Clemson Tigers 6-2 513
18 Iowa State Cyclones 7-1 511
19 Army Black Knights 8-0 404
20 Washington State Cougars 7-1 284
21 Kansas State Wildcats 7-2 201
22 Missouri Tigers 6-2 192
23 Pittsburgh Panthers 7-1 178
24 Colorado Buffaloes 6-2 124
25 Vanderbilt Commodores 6-3 85

Dropped Out

No. 24 Illinois; No. 25 Memphis

Receiving Votes

Tulane 38; Louisville 38; South Carolina 33; Louisiana 27; Syracuse 24; UNLV 17; Arizona State 17; Minnesota 14; Iowa 13; Memphis 5; Illinois 3; Texas Tech 1; James Madison 1

Louisville WR Ja’Corey Brooks keeps playing his way up draft boards

Louisville WR Ja’Corey Brooks keeps playing his way up draft boards after another great performance against Boston College

Louisville wide receiver Ja’Corey Brooks is not a name that was featured on many top-100s or buzzy watchlists before the season. After catching just three passes in nine games at Alabama in 2023, the senior transfer was largely overlooked.

Not anymore. Brooks has emerged as a legit 2025 NFL Draft prospect and his stock is rising by the week. On Friday night against Boston College, Brooks continued his climb up draft charts.

It’s fitting that Brooks wears No. 1 for the Cardinals, because he is clearly the No. 1 option. The defenses from Miami last week and then Boston College have known that in the last two weeks, too, but that hasn’t really mattered. Even with the coverage keying on Brooks, he keeps delivering with clutch catches all over the field.

On Louisville’s first scoring drive on Friday night at Boston College, Brooks caught three straight Tyler Shough passes to set up the touchdown. He held onto a post pattern catch that led him into a vicious (and clean) hit from the Eagles safety, but Brooks popped right up, showing his toughness. He even threw a solid block on the touchdown run two plays later.

Brooks ended the night with eight catches for 120 yards in helping key the major comeback road win. That comes on the heels of a 6-catch outing against Miami for 106 yards and two scores. Brooks’ ability to win over hte middle and outside the numbers continues to impress. His performance in pressure situations the last two weeks really stands out.

Five-star Duke basketball recruiting target announces commitment decision date

Shelton Henderson, a five-star 2025 small forward choosing between Duke, Texas, and Louisville, announced his decision date on Friday.

One of Duke basketball’s top remaining targets in the 2025 recruiting class will announce his commitment next week.

Shelton Henderson, a five-star small forward from Bellaire High School in Texas, said on Friday that he’d share his decision on Saturday, November 2nd.

The No. 15 player in the 247Sports 2025 recruiting rankings averaged 21.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 2.9 steals, and 1.4 blocks as a junior for the Cardinals, leading his team in every category. The Blue Devils, Texas Longhorns, and Louisville Cardinals remain in the running for his commitment.

While the Longhorns are Henderson’s in-state program, Duke looks like the favorite as of Friday. Multiple 247Sports recruiting analysts have filed Crystal Ball predictions for Henderson to join Cameron Boozer, Cayden Boozer, and Nikolas Khamenia in Jon Scheyer’s top-ranked recruiting class. Associate head coach Jai Lucas, who attended Bellaire himself, traveled to Texas for an in-person visit in late September, and Henderson included Duke among his final three schools just weeks later.

Should he choose to play his college ball in Durham, Henderson would be Duke’s third five-star commitment of the Class of 2025 and Scheyer’s 14th five-star talent since he took over as the head coach in 2022.

Scottie Scheffler refused to pick Louisville on College GameDay after his PGA Championship arrest

Did anyone think Scottie would pick Louisville here?

With ESPN’s College GameDay in Austin this Saturday for a showdown between No. 1 Texas and No. 5 Georgia, it only made sense to call up the one athlete who is equally revered (and dominant) in both states to serve as this week’s guest picker: World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler.

The two-time Masters champion is a Dallas native who attended Texas.

Yet before he could make his pick between the Longhorns and Bulldogs, the conversation turned to the Louisville-Miami game. And if anyone thought there was a chance Scheffler would back the Cardinals, they clearly forgot about what happened the last time the golf star went to Louisville.

He was arrested trying to enter the 2024 PGA Championship.

Without missing a beat, Scheffler quickly backed the Hurricanes, noting he didn’t even need to watch any film to make this pick.

“Not to bring anything personal into this with Louisville,” Scheffler said with a smirk. “Great city, love the people, but I think Miami is going to smoke them.”

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Alabama transfer has become one of ACC’s top wide receivers

The Alabama transfer has seen success so far this season.

After former head coach Nick Saban officially retired earlier this year, the Alabama Crimson Tide football program saw a significant roster turnover, with numerous players departing Tuscaloosa via the transfer portal.

Since, some of those players have gone on to see success at their respective destinations, while others have not necessarily seen as much playing time.

Well, one of those names who has since gone on to rise into stardom is wide receiver Ja’Corey Brooks, who transferred from Alabama to Louisville back in December, which was actually before Saban retired.

Now yes, Brooks was already a known name from his time with the Crimson Tide. The former five-star recruit was a starter at Alabama who had a total of 39 receptions for 674 yards and eight touchdowns in 2022, and was on the receiving end of one of the Crimson Tide’s top plays from the 2021 season, catching a 28-yard touchdown pass from Bryce Young to tie the Iron Bowl with :24 seconds remaining.

Brooks however has taken yet another step with Louisville this season, and currently ranks No. 2 in the ACC in receiving yards, while also leading the conference in touchdowns. For the season, Brooks has 30 receptions for 572 yards and six touchdowns, and is likely set to surpass his 2022 totals (39 receptions, 674 yards, 8 TD) at Alabama in the near future.

While one of the first to depart via the portal this past offseason, it appears that Brooks might just be the most impactful transfer so far to leave the Alabama program.

Why Louisville at Virginia is the must watch ACC game of the week

The ACC doesn’t have many major matchups in Week 7, but Louisville at Virginia should be a fun game to watch with real bowl game repercussions.

On paper, Week 7 of the college football season doesn’t have many marquee ACC matchups. Of course, last week looked like a dud of a week across the entire sport, and instead we were rocked with massive upset losses by Alabama, Tennessee, Michigan, and USC…more proof that anything can happen once the clock starts.

11 of the ACC’s 17 teams are in action during Week 7, with the top ranked team (Miami) and the league’s biggest disappointment (Florida State) among those getting the week off.

Neither of the two ranked teams in action appear in real danger of getting upset, with the No. 10 Clemson Tigers heading to Winston-Salem to take on a 2-3 Wake Forest team coming off a road win over NC State, while the No. 22 Pitt Panthers host the 3-2 Golden Bears of Cal.

Stanford doesn’t seem like a strong candidate to knock off No. 11 Notre Dame in South Bend – although crazier things have happened – and at this point Georgia Tech at North Carolina and Syracuse at NC State both just feel hard to stomach.

That leaves us with one intriguing conference matchup that could have real ramifications on bowl eligibility and the top of the league standings: Louisville at Virginia.

Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Louisville Cardinals at Virginia Cavaliers

Louisville fell out of the top 25 after a tough home loss to ACC newcomer SMU, 34-27, in Week 6. That was the second loss in a row for the Cardinals, who are sliding out of the picture to win the ACC and earn a bid in the College Football Playoff.

Meanwhile, Virginia is looking to move to 5-1 for the first time since 2017 and win its first three ACC contests for the first time since 2007.

Both teams have difficult remaining schedules, making this a pivotal game for each program’s hopes of making a bowl game this postseason.

The matchup will come down to how effectively Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough can attack the Cavaliers in the air. Virginia struggles defending the pass and could even more so with injuries impacting a trio of starters in the secondary – not to mention nickel back Malcolm Greene deciding to redshirt and enter the transfer portal.

This game is set to kickoff on Saturday, October 12th at 3:30 PM ET and will be available on the ACC Network.