Louisville hit big at the safety position. The Cardinals replaced all starters from last year with three talented transfers.
The Cardinals return two players from last year’s safety room who have a combined zero starts. This lack of experience is exactly what Louisville prioritized when revitalizing the group. Former Iowa captain Koen Entringer fills in this massive hole and is expected to be one of the best safeties in the country next season. The departure of playmakers D’Angelo Hutchinson, JoJo Evans, and Corey Gordon was a tough blow, but head coach Jeff Brohm did a great job finding replacements.
Louisville had one of the best pass defenses in the nation last season. Bringing this energy into 2026 has become much more realistic with the offseason they had.
2025 recap
Louisville finished the 2025 season allowing 188.8 passing yards per game, good for 25th in the nation. They also secured 14 interceptions on the season, ranking 15th in the country among teams that played 13 games or fewer.
Hutchinson and Evans were two glue guys for this Louisville offense. Being the premier duo in the safety room, they both finished the season in the top three in tackles, only behind linebacker TJ Quinn.
Hutchinson came into 2025 with 25 games under his belt. Spending his entire career in Louisville, he was the veteran presence this team needed in the secondary. Totaling 84 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 6 pass deflections, and an interception, Hutchinson saved his best season for his last.
Evans was a highly ranked transfer, having made stops at Marshall, Kent State, and Florida International before arriving at Louisville. Not showing any dip in production with the increased level of competition, Evans finished the year with 64 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 5 pass deflections, an interception, and a forced fumble. He filled up the stat sheet whenever he saw the field, and his versatile presence will be missed.
Apart from these two tackle machines, Gordon helped man the secondary. Transferring in after two seasons with Baylor, he reached career highs in many statistical categories. Gordon finished his lone year as a Cardinal with 53 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and 3 pass deflections. He played his best football late in the season, having 26 tackles in his last four games. Expected to have an even larger impact in 2026, Gordon opted to transfer to Kansas for his senior season.
Louisville exceeded expectations last season. Featuring two new faces, there were questions on how well this group would perform. Next year looks similar, with three transfers expected to take on starting roles.
New faces
Louisville welcomes four new faces to the safety room. Entringer is the star of the show, while Ole Miss transfer TJ Banks and Tennessee transfer Kaleb Beasley round out the transfer group.
Entringer has 43 games of experience in four years with the Hawkeyes. The former captain was third on his team with 73 tackles, while also having 3.5 tackles for loss and 4 pass deflections last season. Standing at 6 feet 1 and 211 pounds, Entringer is known for his hustle and hard-hitting capability. This veteran presence will be key for the Cardinals, and he is already generating All-Conference expectations.
Playing in the SEC, Banks and Beasley have 38 games played between the two. Banks is coming off a college football playoff run and finished the year with 20 tackles, including 5 coming in the postseason. He will be one of the tallest pieces in this position group and has tremendous athleticism. Beasley was the top-ranked player in the state of Tennessee before beginning his collegiate career. Not seeing much playing time until last season, Beasley put together a solid campaign, finishing with 24 tackles and one pass deflection.
Jordan Vann is the lone freshman of the group. Ranked as the No. 35 player at his position according to Rivals, he has great talent that can be developed behind this deep safety room.
Projections
All three of Louisville’s incoming safety transfers are ranked in the top 15 of their 30-man class, including Entringer being the highest-ranked defensive newcomer.
It only took the Cardinals a few days from having little to no returning production to having one of the best position groups in the ACC. Entringer could easily lead the team in tackles next season, while Banks and Beasley have proved their capabilities in their young careers.
Murray State transfer Dylan Rowsey committed to Louisville and was expected to be a massive impact in 2026, but decided to withdraw his name from the portal. This didn’t cause any alarm for the Cardinals’ coaching staff as they still acquired starting-caliber players.
Louisville will return Blake Ruffin and Micah Rice next season. Ruffin played at Trinity High School before being an FCS All-American at Eastern Illinois. He redshirted his first year with Louisville before appearing in 13 games last season. Having an impact on special teams, Ruffin is now entering his third year of adjusting to this higher level of competition. Rice enters his second season after not seeing the field in his first year.
The trio of Entringer, Banks, and Beasley gives you a potential elite safety room. There is a great balance of proven talent and high upside capability. With an increased role for a former All-American, this group has all the potential in the world.
To see each of our position room previews, use the catalog below.
Depth chart projection
Starters
FS TJ Banks
Rotation Kaleb Beasley
Other
Iowa Hawkeyes defensive back Koen Entringer (4) runs onto the field during senior recognition Nov. 22, 2025 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. © Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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