LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Isaac Brown was in uniform for Louisville's first practice of fall camp Thursday, but he spent much of the morning wearing boxing gloves.
While teammates churned through the opening workout of preseason camp, the Cardinals' star running back stood on the sideline firing quick jabs into pads held by a trainer instead of taking handoffs.
Asked afterward why Brown wasn't practicing, Jeff Brohm delivered a quick injury update.
"Well, apparently we’ve just got to get him a little healthier," Brohm said. "Once we do, he'll be out there practicing. That's about all I got for that one."
Brohm offered no timetable and little explanation, leaving Brown's status one of the few unanswered questions from Louisville's opening practice. The All-ACC performer wasn’t wearing a yellow jersey reserved for injured players, so his injury isn’t expected to be a huge concern.
There's still a month before Louisville opens the season against Ole Miss in Nashville.
At some point, though, Brown will need more than game-day health. He'll need practice reps. The Cardinals' offense is built around him, and timing, rhythm and leadership are built on mornings like Thursday.
Here are five more takeaways from Day 1.
Tre Richardson may be the piece Louisville missed
Jeff Brohm kept returning to the same phrase Thursday: stretch the field.
That's what Louisville believes Vanderbilt transfer wideout Tre Richardson can do.
Louisville wideout Tre Richardson completes a drill during the first fall practice of the 2026 season on August 6, 2026.
"He's played a lot of football. He can stretch the field," Brohm said. "We'll use him both on the inside and the outside ... letting him stretch the field and attack the field vertically, and I think we have the arm strength right now to get it to him."
Richardson missed spring practice while recovering from a foot injury, so Thursday marked one of the first opportunities to see him working in Louisville's offense.
Receiver TreyShun Hurry said Richardson's return has already made life easier for everyone else.
"Having Tre back, you can already feel it's like a relief for everybody," Hurry said. "It's easier getting everybody open and he's a great addition to our offense."
If Richardson consistently forces safeties to honor the deep ball, Louisville's offense becomes harder to defend before he ever catches a pass.
Brohm almost talked himself out of praising his defense
Jeff Brohm started to compliment Louisville's defense. Then he caught himself.
"I like it," he said. "You know, I don't want to talk about it too much..."
He couldn't help himself. Brohm is as anti-hype as any coach in the ACC. Still, for the next several minutes he outlined a defense he believes is deeper, more versatile and capable of dictating games.
Clev Lubin runs a drill during the first practice of fall camp for Louisville football on August 6, 2026.
He talked about getting after quarterbacks without surrendering explosive plays. He praised veteran safeties, experienced linebackers, tall cornerbacks and a defensive end room that goes far deeper than just Clev Lubin and AJ Green.
"We want to be aggressive in our approach," Brohm said. "We want to get after the quarterback. We want to get in the backfield. We want to guard things tighter. But we also don't want to get beat over our head."
Brohm also confirmed longtime assistant Mark Ivey will call the defense this season, saying he's earned the opportunity.
It wasn't a preseason proclamation. But it sounded like a coach who quietly believes this defense has a chance to become one of Louisville's strengths.
The kicking game remains the biggest concern
Jeff Brohm's shortest answer Thursday may have been his bluntest – regarding his kicking game.
“I'm not confident right now,” Brohm said.
Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm and staffer Vince Marrow watch practice during the first workout of fall camp on August 6, 2026.
Brohm said Louisville's kickers and punters didn't have a particularly good first day despite offseason additions designed to improve the position.
"That was not great today,” he said. “We made some strides in the spring. I didn't think we performed very good during the spring game, which is disappointing. Now we have great competition there. We've added quite a few pieces, more than we've ever had. So, we've got to just work our way through it.”
Coaches often spend August insisting every competition is progressing nicely.
Brohm wasn't in that mood.
Louisville could add two more players
One bit of roster news came after practice.
Brohm confirmed Louisville is monitoring the recent court ruling that grants additional eligibility to some players who first enrolled in 2022.
"We have some targets there for us," he said.
Brohm said Louisville is waiting for additional clarification before making any moves but indicated the Cardinals could add as many as two players if the ruling remains in place.
Apparently, quarterbacks bowl
Building chemistry apparently doesn't stop when practice ends.
Receiver TreyShun Hurry said Louisville's quarterbacks and receivers have made a habit of spending time together away from football, including regular trips to the bowling alley.
"We have a good relationship with them boys," Hurry said. "We go bowling a lot ... We work outside of off days, on days, and it's only gonna keep getting better and better with them."
With Lincoln Kienholz stepping into the starting quarterback role, every rep helps.
Apparently, so does every frame.
Five more chances to watch
Louisville has five more practices open to the public. All begin at 9:45 a.m.:
- Saturday, Aug. 8
- Monday, Aug. 10
- Tuesday, Aug. 11
- Thursday, Aug. 13
- Friday, Aug. 14
Most practices will be held on the grass practice fields, although weather could move them inside L&N Stadium or the Trager Indoor Practice Facility.
Fans should park in Bronze Lots F and G. Photos and video are not permitted during open practices.
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