Josiah Hope, No. 3 player in Kentucky, flips back to Louisville
There’s something about Louisville and Purdue.
On Wednesday, 2027 defensive lineman Josiah Hope flipped his commitment from the Boilermakers back to the Cardinals. He announced on his X (formerly known as Twitter) account.
The North Hardin (Ky.) product originally committed to Louisville on June 1. Two weeks before decommitting from the program in the middle of last month.
Eight days later, Hope committed to Purdue, but it was reported by Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong that Louisville remained in frequent communication.
Hope is a big get for Louisville’s 2026 recruiting class. He’s the No. 3 player in the state of Kentucky and No. 357 overall according to Rivals’ industry rankings.
Hope’s commitment now gives Louisville three of the top four players in the commonwealth’s 2026 class. Offensive tackle Jarvis Strickland (No. 1) and linebacker Karsten Busch (No. 4) are two of the Cardinals’ other top commits out of Kentucky.
At 6-foot-2, 315 pounds, Hope is massive. He’s now the fourth-best recruit in the U of L football 2026 class. The Radcliff, Kentucky, native is the second defensive lineman to commit to the Cards in this year’s cycle, joining South Oldham’s (Ky.) Sam Dawson. Hope lives just 28 miles away from Louisville’s campus.
The Cards’ 2026 class is now up to No. 35 nationally and No. 7 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Here are some of Hope’s highlights from midway through last season, courtesy of his Hudl.
