Two 2026 Louisville football commits in new Rivals top 300 rankings
Rivals has released its updated rankings for the 2026 football class. Louisville features two commits featured in the nation’s top 300 prospects.
Louisville has the 34th-ranked recruiting class with 22 commits. Offensive lineman Jarvis Strickland and tight end Julius Miles are now the highest-regarded members of the class, according to the latest Rivals top-300. Both have used spectacular senior years to boost their stock in the recruiting world. Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm has done a great job building one of the deepest classes in the ACC.
Jarvis Strickland steadily a top-lineman
Strickland comes in as the 296th-best prospect in the nation, good for the 30th-ranked offensive lineman in the class. Strickland is also considered the number-one player in the state of Kentucky, ranking just ahead of fellow Louisville commits Karsten Busch (No. 3) and Josiah Hope (No. 4).
Decommitting from the University of Kentucky on June 19th, it took Strickland only a few weeks to make up his mind and commit to Louisville on July 4th. Gaining offers from Tennessee, Michigan, and Indiana, among others, Louisville came out on top with recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow leading the charge.
Strickland led Paducah Tilghman to an 11-1 record and is set to face off against Logan County this Friday in the Class 4A quarterfinals. Standing at 6-foot-6 and 290 pounds, he is a brick wall up front. With Louisville having multiple starting offensive linemen set to graduate, Strickland might see some early playing time next fall.
Julius Miles is one of nation’s best TEs
Miles ranks as the 182nd overall prospect in the nation, good for the 7th-best tight end in the class. Residing in Freeport, Florida, Miles is the 19th-ranked player in the state.
Being the highest-ranked commit in the Louisville class, Miles has earned every bit of this honor. Finishing with 1,111 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns, he had an unstoppable senior year. Unfortunately, these video game numbers didn’t translate to a successful season for his team. After starting the season 4-0, Freeport dropped 5 out of their remaining 6 games, and recently lost to South Walton in the playoffs.
Committing a day after Strickland on July 5th, Miles chose the Cards over Florida State, Colorado, Syracuse, UCF, Vanderbilt, among others. At 6-foot-6, weighing 194 pounds, there is a lot of potential at the ACC level for an athlete of his caliber.
“I’m a competitor, I don’t wanna lose, and I want to be around a winning culture. What I will bring is a dominant, humble mindset that is ready to work,” Miles told Cardinal Sports.
Louisville is 7-3 after dropping its past two games. With College Football Playoff aspirations only a few weeks ago, the Cards are left living in uncertainty. But Jeff Brohm has a strong recruiting class on the horizon and will be looking to finish this year on a high note.
