Heading into the season, the Louisville Cardinals generated significant buzz around their team. Pat Kelsey was hired to replace Kenny Payne after the team finished with a disappointing 8-24 record. Kelsey and his staff made a big splash by bringing in 12 players through the transfer portal , according to 247Sports. This influx of new talent injected fresh energy into the program and gave fans something to get excited about.
After a strong 5-2 start, the Cardinals cooled off, losing four out of their next five games. A major factor in their slide has been injuries. At the start of the season, Louisville had 13 scholarship players on the roster, but just a month and a half later, that number has dwindled to only eight available players. Aly Khalifa and Kobe Rodgers began the season using their medical redshirts, and since then, Koren Johnson and Kasean Pryor have both been ruled out for the remainder of the season due to injuries.
In their game against Kentucky, the Cardinals kept it close but ultimately succumbed to fatigue. Only seven players saw action, with five of them playing 30 or more minutes. After the game, Terrence Edwards Jr. spoke with the media alongside head coach Pat Kelsey…