Highlights & Evaluation: Louisville LB Commit Karsten Busch

The Louisville football program has secured a massive local commitment from out of the Class of 2026, with Karsten Busch opting to take his talents to the Cardinals.

Here is Louisville Cardinals On SI's full evaluation:

Prospect: Karsten Busch
Position: Linebacker
Measurables: 6-foot-3, 223 pounds
School: Louisville (Ky.) St. Xavier
Top Offers: Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan State, Wisconsin
247Sports Composite Rating (Nat'l Rank): 0.8807 (518th)

Karsten Busch's Junior Year Highlights: HERE (Hudl)

Frame: Busch has the kind of frame that you want out of a position versatile linebacker. He's got both good height and length, and has great weight and muscle tone for someone currently in their junior year of high school

Athleticism: Busch has a great set of athletic intangibles. He not only has a good first step and the ability to make sharp cuts at full speed relatively smoothly, he has fantastic open field speed for his position. It also helps that he has plus game strength as well.

Instincts: What stands out the most about Busch is his work as a chase down defender, regardless of his alignment. He has good closing speed, but more importantly takes great pursuit angles and almost never over or under shoots his target. Whether he's on the edge or lined up as an inside linebacker, he shoots gaps incredibly well. Busch also excels at reading option plays, and attacks without hesitation. He does well at shedding initial blocks, but also has the strength to power through counters. He's also demonstrated patience and letting the play come to him when he is engaged in a blocker.

Polish: At St. X, Busch primarily played as a 3-4 outside linebacker. However, he also does routinely line up inside as an off-ball linebacker as well. While it's not his strength per se, Busch has shown flashes when it comes to his abilities dropping back and playing zone coverage. Busch is largely a fundamental tackler, but occasionally finds himself diving or leading with his head. He also sometimes gets stood up on initial blocks, but the good thing is he rarely lets it take him completely out of a play thanks to his incredibly high motor.

Bottom Line: Overall, this is great pickup for Louisville, and not just from a local standpoint. While his exact projection at the college level remains to be seen, whether that be as a LEO or a weak side linebacker in Louisville's scheme, Busch has a tremendous amount of upside thanks to his athletic intangibles and pure instincts.

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