Program field guide · 2026

ACC · Kentucky

Louisville

Cardinals

Louisville’s Kentucky-developed core fell from 30 to 24 players.

2026 roster · Roster geography

In 2016, 30 of 117 roster spots were filled by Kentucky players with no earlier college team detected. On the 2026 roster, 24 of 102 fit the same definition. Detected transfers went from 5 to 38.

In 2016 the median player grew up 340 mi from campus. Now it is 301 mi.

Of the 38 players who came from another college, 6 are from Kentucky. Those home-state players make up 16% of detected-transfer stock on this roster.

Then → now

2016–18 compared with 2021–25

2016–182021–2524.6%18.9%3.1%22.9%
  • Local-developed core
  • Transfer stock
Measure2016–182021–25
Local-developed core24.6%18.9%
Transfer stock3.1%22.9%

The roster, at a glance

  • 379 miAverage hometown distanceAverage hometown distance among 99 located players.
  • 29.7%In-state29.7% of the roster is from Kentucky.
  • 25.3%Backyard25.3% grew up within 100 miles of campus.
  • 37.3%Detected transfers37.3% of the roster arrived after playing at another school.

Across the FBS

Where Louisville ranks

Most In-State#7029.7%Most Transfers#1337.3%Closest to Home#38379 miFarthest From Home#101379 miBiggest Localism Shift#11529.7%Most Backyard Players#5025.3%Fewest Transfers#12637.3%Biggest Transfer Shift#1537.3%

Homecoming Radius over time

The median hometown-to-campus distance, by season. The dotted line is the FBS median.

0100200300FBS median (250 mi)200920122016201920232026

Roster composition over time

Where the in-state lens draws the line: local-developed, local transfer, outsider developed, outsider transfer, and unknown. This chart begins where stable athlete IDs make transfer detection possible; the radius chart above carries the official-archive geography farther back.

Local-developedLocal transferOutsider developedOutsider transfer200920122016201920232026

Where do Louisville's players come from?

SeasonRosterIn-stateTransfer signalRadius
202610229.7%37.3%301 mi
202510927.8%35.8%317 mi
202411720.4%28.2%328 mi
202311820.9%27.1%317 mi
202211818.3%13.6%332 mi
202111116.4%9.9%326 mi
202012227.3%6.6%314 mi
201911222.3%7.1%317 mi
201812726.2%3.1%317 mi
201711323.0%1.8%318 mi
201611725.9%4.3%340 mi
201512025.0%5.0%338 mi
201410922.2%4.6%341 mi
201311331.0%3.5%321 mi
201211337.2%3.5%313 mi
201110237.3%1.0%315 mi
201010934.9%0.9%307 mi
200910631.4%0.9%333 mi

Where the roster grew up

Every 2026 player's hometown, with campus marked and the Homecoming Radius circled.

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Homecoming Radius: 301 mi

(This slider is for exploring — leaderboards use the fixed lenses.)

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