Louisville football 2025 position grades: Defense
Louisville’s defense had a massive turnaround in 2025.
Ron English’s group entered the fall with big question marks and a completely revamped secondary, following a tumultuous 2024, full of poor play on the back end.
So, the Cardinals added key pieces on the defensive line and in the cornerback room through the transfer portal, and en route to a 9-4 2025 record, the Louisville defense was one of the ACC’s best statistically. And unlike last year, it was the offense that lagged behind and ultimately cost the Cards three straight games in the month of November.
Not only should Jeff Brohm, English, and the rest of the defensive staff get their flowers for the job they did this past year, but the players should, too. Newcomers like Clev Lubin, Wesley Bailey, and Jabari Mack all had big-time seasons, leading some of the team’s best and most improved position rooms.
So, here’s the second part of our postseason position grades, this time the defensive side of the football.
RELATED: 2025 Louisville football position grades — Offense
Interior Defensive Line — B +
These guys don’t get the glory of the guys on the edge, but played an equally important role in one of the ACC’s best front sevens.
Rene Konga and Jordan Guerad both had fantastic seasons for a rushing defense that was in the top-five of the conference. Even in their place, players like Jerry Lawson and Denzel Lowry continued to make plays, with little drop off from first to second string.
Konga has a future in the NFL and skipped out on the Cards’ bowl-game to start focusing on his professional career. Konga and Guerad combined for 9.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and 56 stops.
Defensive end — A
The pass rush was the best overall unit on the field for the Cardinals this fall. Transfer defensive ends Wesley Bailey and Clev Lubin combined for 14.5 sacks, with the junior Lubin collecting 8.5 of them.
AJ Green, who just recently announced his decision to enter the transfer portal, also made significant strides this season and finished the year with a career-high 4.0 sacks.
Last season, so much of the Cardinals’ ability to get to the quarterback fell on the shoulders of Ashton Gillotte. The 2025 NFL Draft choice saw a major dip in production in his last year wearing the red and black. But most of that can be attributed to a frequent double-team and not having a reliable pass rusher on the opposite end of the front. The Cards did an excellent job filling the team’s needs with additions like Bailey, Lubin, and Justin Beadles, who all contributed.
Lubin’s potential return for his senior season has a chance to be the single-biggest offseason storyline for this defense.
Linebacker — A-
Louisville’s linebacker room was consistent in turnover from 2024 to 2025, with the return of TJ Quinn, Antonio Watts, and Stanquan Clark. It was already one of the Cards’ best units entering the season, but when Clark broke his ankle in the second game of the season versus James Madison, linebackers coach Mark Ivey needed production off the bench from one of Kalib Perry or TJ Capers.
Both Capers and Perry stepped into the role just fine and made a massive impact, splitting snaps. Playing next to an All-ACC backer like Quinn can certainly help pass the eye test, and Quinn finished the year as the Cards tackle leader for the third consecutive season and will now focus on the NFL Draft. Capers had the game-sealing interception against Miami and totaled 46 tackles and three tackles for loss, while Perry was fifth on the team with 55 stops.
Four-year contributors like Quinn are rare in modern-day college football. The Valdosta, Georgia, native has been the heart and soul of the Louisville defense under Jeff Brohm.
Cornerback — B
In the preseason, it looked like Rodney Johnson was going to be opposite of junior CB Tayon Holloway, who was reinstated back onto the team in July. But, slowly but surely, Jacksonville State transfer Jabari Mack became one of the most consistent pieces of the defense, and Holloway had the best season of his career.
Holloway totaled five pass breakups, second on the team, and also recorded the first two interceptions of his career. He was also Louisville’s best perimeter defender in the run game, leading all members of the secondary with 3.5 tackles for loss. The honorable-mention All-ACC member became lockdown by the end of the season, while Mack also picked off two passes and played in all 13 games.
I also really liked the depth Johnson and guys like Justin Agu provided on the back end. But the tell-tale sign of improvement was the Cardinals’ four-interception jump from last season to this year. Louisville allowed just 188.8 passing yards per contest, the best in the ACC.
Safety — B +
D’Angelo Hutchinson was my personal-favorite defender to watch this season. The springy senior has athleticism that belongs on the basketball floor and was one of the best tacklers at his position in all of the ACC.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound safety fought through injury to play in every game this season and eventually finished second on the team with 84 tackles, a 32-stop jump from his junior season, where Hutchinson also played in every game.
Corey Gordon became an unsung hero on this defense with his versatility. Gordon filled into Antonio Watt’s husky role once he got injured and fared well, and so did Florida International transfer JoJo Evans, who was excellent in coverage all fall.
