'26 OL Bryten Close Commits to Louisville

Another in-state prospect is opting to stay home and play for the Louisville football program.

Campbellsville (Ky.) Taylor Country offensive lineman Bryten Close has given his verbal pledge to the Cardinals, he announced Tuesday.

Close is now the sixth 2026 prospect from the Commonwealth of Kentucky to commit to UofL. He joins Fort Thomas (Ky.) Highlands offensive lineman Max Merz, Crestwood (Ky.) South Oldham, defensive lineman Sam Dawson, Louisville (Ky.) St. Xavier linebacker Karsten Busch and running back Marlon Harbin, plus Owensboro (Ky.) HS running back Evan Hampton.

Close has made multiple visits to campus over the last several months. He visited for their game against SMU last season, and was in attendance for a couple spring practices, including the spring game.

The 6-foot-6, 285-pound lineman plays both sides of the field, but is primarily an offensive tackle. He currently holds nine scholarship offers, with East Carolina, Liberty, Western Kentucky and others also in the mix.

Louisville is now back up to a 13-man 2026 recruiting class with Close's commitment. It ranks as high as the No. 14 class in the nation, per 247Sports' in house rankings.

More Cardinals Stories

You can follow Louisville Cardinals On SI for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram:

Facebook - @LouisvilleOnSI
Twitter/X - @LouisvilleOnSI
Instagram - @louisvilleonsi

You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter/X and @mattmcgavic.bsky.social on Bluesky