Louisville might seem like an underdog team, but the chances of the Cardinals pulling a surprise performance this season are high. That’s all because of Miller Moss‘ arrival on the team, ready to undo the damage from his USC career. Coach Jeff Brohm might hit the jackpot with his new QB1. He has a track record of making a difference with his quarterbacks. But with Moss leading the front in 2025, the odds of Louisville finally establishing itself as a major player in the conference are seeing an uptick.
Moss came to Louisville knowing that the future wasn’t looking bright for him if he stayed at USC. Post the Maryland game, the downturn in his performance became evident. After being benched in the Washington game, Moss faded from USC’s picture altogether, as Jayden Maiava picked up the slack. He entered the transfer portal and changed conferences. But he wasn’t the only QB to do so. Georgia’s Carson Beck is also an ACC quarterback now. But Moss’ true potential is yet to be unleashed. The world has seen Beck’s brilliance, but Moss remains an enigma.
Given Jeff Brohm’s reputation of being a quarterback guru, On3’s J.D. PicKell thinks Miller Moss is slated for his best season this year. Brohm picked up former quarterbacks Jack Plummer and Tyler Shough in the transfer portal, too, and both published their bests at Louisville before heading to the NFL. PicKell said in a June 15 video, “If Miller Moss has his best season of his college career and he throws for over 3,000 yards, Louisville’s going to be a shake-up team in the ACC and, by correlation, be a shake-up team in the rest of college football.”
Sep 7, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans quarterback Miller Moss (7) throws a pass against the Utah State Aggies during the second quarter at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
Moss entered USC as a 4-star prospect and was thrust into the starting role with just 914 yards gathered in a span of 3 years. He was part of the reason why USC’s campaign stopped at 7-6. Brohm helped Plummer and Shough improve their games by leaps and bounds. Plummer arrived from California. Next year with the Cardinals, he bowed out with a career-best 3,204 yards and 21 TDs. Shough, too, came over after facing a hit-and-miss career split between Oregon and Texas Tech. He ended up being picked in the second round in the NFL after his Louisville stint.
PicKell says Louisville has the third-best odds in the ACC at the moment. But for Jeff Brohm to silence the critics, Miller Moss has to tap into his potential and stun the crowds. “I think we should all be aligned in the reality that this could happen. Miller Moss lighting it up under Jeff Brom and Louisville being a problem in the ACC, heck, playing for the conference; it could happen… Miller Moss, being a guy, is what would have this whole thing happen,” the analyst said. He also finds a surprising similarity between Moss and another great QB, who shook things up in 2024.
Miller Moss has to be Louisville’s Kyle McCord
Kyle McCord came to Syracuse after 3 seasons with Ohio State. He transferred out because of “business” reasons, and also had a good relationship with Fran Brown. The QB came from a Big 10 juggernaut to a program that was struggling to get attention in the CFB arena. In his debut year with Syracuse in 2024, this duo helped put the program on the map. PicKell thinks a similar outcome can also happen at Louisville if Moss lights up the field this season. McCord ended his collegiate career on an extremely high note, pitching in 4,779 yards and 34 TDs.
“If Miller Moss is Kyle McCord from last year, what would that say about Louisville? Because remember, Kyle McCord, there’s kind of that same vibe, right, after he left Ohio State… Kyle McCord seemingly wasn’t the issue at Ohio State. He definitely wasn’t not good enough to play at Ohio State. Went and led the country in passing last year for Syracuse, so it wasn’t a talent thing. He’s not a bad player; he just didn’t play well enough at Ohio State. Miller Moss, same deal at USC. Not a bad player, just didn’t play well enough at USC in specific situations to keep his job,” the analyst noted.
Jeff Brohm, with his redemption QBs in place, outsmarted Notre Dame in 2023 and Clemson in 2024. This season, Louisville’s schedule has another big player in the mix: Miami. But he also has a great QB in Miller Moss. For Brohm to continue his record with the position, Moss has to exceed everyone’s expectations. Because, like PicKell said, only then will the HC be able to publish a “hat-trick when it comes to the QB magic.”
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