Isaac Brown injury update: Jeff Brohm shares latest on Louisville RB

In the fourth quarter of Louisville‘s 28-16 win over Virginia Tech on Saturday, Cardinals running back Isaac Brown left the game after suffering an apparent non-contact injury. On Monday, Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm provided an update on Brown’s status for Louisville’s upcoming game against California.

“Isaac will be out for a while. We will not have him this game,” Brohm said, per WDRB‘s Eric Crawford.

Before leaving the game against Virginia Tech on Saturday, Brown tallied 130 rushing yards and a touchdown on just 16 carries. Isaac Brown has been one of the best running backs in the country this season.

He boasts 782 rushing yards and five scores in the 2025 campaign. He averages 97.8 rushing yards per game, ranking seventh among Power Four players.

In Louisville’s 38-24 win over Boston College in Week 9, Brown erupted for a career-high 205 rushing yards and a score. For his efforts, he was named the Doak Walker National Running Back of the Week.

Brown’s injury couldn’t have come at a worse time. Louisville is 7-1 and has difficult games against Clemson, SMU and Kentucky ahead. The Cardinals’ College Football Playoff hopes could rely on how quickly Brown is able to recover.

Alas, Louisville has proven it’s capable of squeaking out gritty wins. On Saturday, the Cardinals trailed Virginia Tech 16-7 at halftime before pulling off a comeback win. After the game, Jeff Brohm raved about his team’s resilience.

“Definitely proud of our football team today,” Brohm said. “We showed great grit, great toughness. It was a disappointing first half overall, and I think we all felt that. It was a little bit down one of the locker room, including myself and players. We could tell that.

“So we just kind of had to take a couple deep breaths, understand there’s still 30 minutes of football to play. We can play better if we just go out there and believe in ourselves, and not take our foot off the gas. “I think, for the most part, we did that. … There’s plenty of things to improve, but these guys have grit and they want to win, so it’s fun coaching them.”

Without Brown in its backfield, Louisville will square off against California on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. The game will air live on ESPN2.