Hoban wide receiver Payton Cook catches a second-half touchdown pass against St. Ignatius, Friday, Sept. 16, 2022. Jeff Lange / USA TODAY NETWORK

'26 WR Payton Cook Commits to Louisville

Originally posted on Louisville Cardinals on SI
By Matthew McGavic | Last updated Mar 27, 2025 1:24 PM ET

Jeff Brohm and the Louisville football program have landed yet another high-profile Class of 2026 prospect.

Akron (Oh.) Archbishop Hoban wide receiver Payton Cook, a top-150 prospect in the entire cycle, announced Thursday that he has committed to the Cardinals.

He chose Louisville over held offers from Miami, Michigan, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Kentucky and others. Cook is coming off of a visit to the Cardinals this past weekend, and wide receivers coach Deion Branch was his lead recruiter.

The 6-foot-2, 170-pound pass catcher ranks as high as the No. 20 wide receiver in the cycle and the No. 141 prospect in the nation, per Rivals. The 247Sports Composite tabs him as the No. 284 recruiting nationally.

Sporting a Composite rating of 0.9081, Cook is now Louisville's highest-ranked commitment in the 2026 class, surpassing cornerback Jaydin Broadnax's .9026 rating. He's the highest-rated prospect to commit to the Cards since current linebacker T.J. Capers, who held a .9449 rating in the Class of 2023.

Louisville is now back up to a 12-man 2026 recruiting class with Cook's commitment, which ranks as the No. 7 class in the nation, per247Sports. Six of their commitments have come within the last three weeks.