Louisville announced that preseason All-American Antonio Watts will miss the rest of the 2026 season because of a knee injury. A program source told Card Chronicle he suffered it in practice; Watts plays the STAR position on the Cardinals’ defense.
The listed backup at STAR is Blake Ruffin, who has played sparingly since transferring from Eastern Illinois. Louisville could also move safety Koen Entringer to STAR and use Kaleb Beasley and TJ Banks at safety. Ben Perry played STAR for the Cardinals before transferring to UCLA last season.
Watts earned All-ACC honors in 2025 with 42 tackles, a team-best three interceptions and three forced fumbles. He started all 13 games at linebacker in 2024, making 51 tackles, and missed Louisville’s final three regular-season games in 2025 with a knee injury.
