Louisville basketball hosting top prospect this weekend, turns to 2027 class
Louisville and head basketball coach Pat Kelsey have taken significant strides in their 2027 recruiting class, but have yet to secure a pledge from a member of this year’s senior class.
What’s the latest on the Cardinals’ recruiting efforts?
What’s going on with the 2026 class?
Several targets that Louisville were in serious contention for are now off the board, including reclassifying sharpshooter Trevor Manhertz, who had included the Cards in his top three before committing to Indiana yesterday. Manhertz visited Louisville on Dec. 13. Not to mention that in the fall, Louisville missed out on in-state point guard Tay Kinney to Kansas and No. 1 overall prospect Tyran Stokes, who happens to be a Derby City native. Stokes has yet to announce his college decision, but he has taken the Cards out of the running.
Shifting focus, Kelsey has been in contact with No. 4 overall prospect Bruce Branch III, a small forward out of Prolific Prep. Branch was the No. 1 player in the 2027 class before reclassifying. The 6-foot-7 wing has yet to arrange a visit to the Ville, however, his recruitment is still very much in the early stages, and Kentucky, Kansas, BYU, USC, and Duke are among those showing interest in one of the class’s top available prospects.
Look for Louisville to try to get Branch on campus later this spring after his high school season concludes.
The Cardinals will likely turn to the transfer portal for key additions in the coming months as well. It’s also worth mentioning that we expect Louisville to heavily vet the international market this offseason, just as Kelsey’s staff did in 2025.
Senegalese forward Mohamed Camara, one of the two redshirts on the Louisville roster, is also set to be a member of the “2026 class” and has been impressing behind the scenes. He will be a freshman next season.
Efforts for 2027 class
The 2027 high school class has been the focus, already securing commitments from La Lumiere (IN) power forward Ferlandes Wright and Moravian Prep (NC) combo guard Isaac Ellis. Both are top-200 prospects, with Wright being the class’s top player out of The Commonwealth.
Kelsey is looking for a stud ball-handler, with third-ranked point guard Reece Alston already visiting for the Memphis game. Alston has also visited Purdue, but Louisville seems to be an early contender.
“I like his (Kelsey’s) coaching style. I thought he had great energy towards the players. What I’ve seen, he lets his point guards play and just do what they’re best at…that’s what I like most,” Alston told Cardinal Sports.
CJ Rosser, the class’s top player, will visit Louisville this weekend as the Cardinals take on SMU.
“They’re just a good program. I don’t really know too much. I’m just starting to get into them this year, when they offered. They’ve been staying in contact,” Rosser said to On3’s Joe Tipton.
The 6-foot-9 forward is also planning trips to North Carolina, Kentucky, and Duke.
Other forwards to keep an eye on as Louisville continues to vet itself deeper into the class are Moussa Kamissoko and Gabe Nesmith. Nesmith was in for the Cards’ exhibition against Kansas.
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