2026 LB Taj Powell flips from West Virginia to Louisville
Louisville football has added another flip in its 2026 recruiting class, Springfield High School’s (OH) Taj Powell, who was previously committed to West Virginia.
Powell announced via his X (formerly known as Twitter) account.
A lot of the work’s been done by the newly appointed Director of Player Development and General Manager, Vince Marrow.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound LB/S is another player not far from the 502— and another of Marrow’s former UK recruits to be offered by Louisville and flip.
As the nation’s No. 953-ranked recruit and No. 83-ranked LB in the class, he committed to WVU on April 10, but kept his recruitment open.
“I’ve known Coach Marrow for a while now,” Powell told Cardinal Sports in July. “Our relationship really started when he was at Kentucky. We connected back then, and he’s always been real with me. Since he moved to Louisville, we’ve kept in touch, so it’s more of a continuation than something brand new.”
Powell was offered by UK back in December, and the prospect is another example of the Cardinals prioritizing states like Ohio, Indiana, and Tennessee on the recruiting trail.
Another recent revelation in Louisville’s recruiting strategy is the staff’s consistently open and honest pitch.
“They’ve been good, really positive,” he said of the Louisville staff. “The coaches have been upfront about how they see me fitting into their program. They’re building something they think I could be a part of, and they’ve made it clear they’d love to have me visit and see it for myself.”
Powell went on to visit the Cardinals for the week one win over Eastern Kentucky; obviously, things progressed from there. He cited looking for a place that feels like family with genuine and honest coaching when asked what he was searching for in a college program.
As the No. 63-ranked linebacker in the country, Powell had an excellent junior season playing up close towards the line of scrimmage. He totaled 47 tackles in 10 games, made 2.5 sacks, and 7.0 tackles for loss, while also recovering four fumbles.
He’s got excellent size and a muscular frame for his age, which projects well at the next level. Powell’s main goal in his senior season is to win the state championship while finalizing his recruitment process.
As it stands, Louisville’s 2026 class is No. 30 nationally and No. 7 in the ACC.
It’s been a nice job by Marrow, head coach Jeff Brohm, and staff, but there’s still work to do on the trail while also shifting some attention to 2027.
The Cards currently have 23 commitments in the 2026 class, four of which are linebackers, and seven of the 23 come from neighboring states.
