Jeff Brohm far exceeded expectations in his first year as Louisville’s head football coach.

The Cardinals, who were projected to finish eighth in the conference standings, made the ACC championship game and spent time ranked among the top 15 teams in the country.

Exceeding expectations comes with a price, though. The bar is higher for Louisville as it enters the 2024 season.

After losing their final three games of the 2023 campaign, the Cardinals are motivated to resolve what they consider to be unfinished business. But what could — and should — that look like?

Here are five expectations for U of L in Year 2 under Brohm:

Get back to ACC championship game

On paper, Louisville’s toughest conference game this season will be at Clemson. That’s not to say there won’t be under-the-radar teams that perform better than expected. Still, the Cardinals should be even more talented this season. After losing the bulk of their offensive production, their transfer portal class ranks 13^th nationally, according to 247Sports. Most of those players arrived in January and have had the spring to acclimate. Between the newcomers and returning talent, Louisville has enough to make another ACC championship game appearance.

Win at least nine games

Louisville’s 10-4 record in 2023 was only the seventh time in program history that it reached double-digit wins in a season. If the Cardinals can avoid potential trap games, they have a strong chance of hitting the mark again. At the very least, they should win nine games. Their home schedule is manageable with the toughest game being against Miami. Playing on the road will be tougher as U of L goes to Notre Dame, Clemson and Kentucky. The Cardinals’ combined record at the three schools is 17-30, but they beat the Fighting Irish at L&N Stadium last year. They also led the Wildcats for most of the game before giving up a double-digit advantage for a fifth straight Governor’s Cup loss.

Boast top-10 defense

Defensive lineman Ashton Gillotte and cornerback Quincy Riley have been two of Louisville’s best defensive players for the past two seasons. Last year, the Cardinals’ defensive unit was first in red zone defense and ninth in rushing defense.

The Cardinals have key pieces around Riley and Gillotte that can help them continue their dominance this fall. Where their passing defense faltered later in the year, due in part to a lack of depth, U of L targeted defensive backs in the portal during the offseason and will be stronger in the secondary. The Cardinals also added to the defensive line’s depth after the spring season, signing a strong group during the winter.

1,000-yard receiver

At the beginning of the 2023 season, wide receiver Jamari Thrash was well on his way to being Louisville’s eighth 1,000-yard receiver and second in as many seasons. But a wrist injury caused Thrash to miss a game and he was limited when he returned.

With Louisville returning Chris Bell while signing highly-touted talents Caullin Lacy and Ja’Corey Brooks, the Cardinals have three solid receiving options for the fall. Lacy caught 91 passes for 1,316 yards at South Alabama last year while Brooks, who was limited by an injury in the fall and spring, averaged 15.7 yards per catch while at Alabama. Bell is Louisville’s leading returner and had 407 yards and two touchdowns on 29 receptions for an average of 14.0 yards per catch.

Tyler Shough throws for 4,000 yards

Last year, Jack Plummer threw for 3,204 yards. But he had times where his accuracy was off, leaving yards — and touchdowns — on the field. With Tyler Shough, Louisville has a player who fits the mold of a prototypical Brohm quarterback: tall with a strong pocket presence and ability to throw down the field. His numbers during previous stints with Texas Tech and Oregon aren’t the best reflectors because he’s yet to play a full season of college football in six years.

Shough’s health will be at the forefront after suffering injuries each of the past three years. But if he can stay healthy, the Arizona native has the talent to put up big numbers for Louisville.

Reach Louisville football, women's basketball and baseball beat writer Alexis Cubit at acubit@gannett.com and follow her on X at @Alexis_Cubit.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville football expectations for 2024 after Jeff Brohm raised bar