Could Karter Knox save Kenny Payne's job? The 5-star wing updates decision timeline, Kentucky interest

Kenny Payne‘s seat is blistering hot at Louisville. His plan to cool it down? Hit one final out-of-the-park home run on the recruiting trail in hopes of making UL AD Josh Heird’s hit pause on a final decision, one that would likely find the second-year head coach looking for a new gig.

Insert ’24 five-star wing Karter Knox, who tells KSR he is starting an official visit with the Cardinals on Saturday.

“I’m excited about the visit, ready to explore Louisville’s campus,” he said.

The timing is interesting, to put it lightly. National reports indicated late this week a decision was being made on Payne’s future “fairly soon” and his tenure may be over “before we get to the end of 2023.” That followed almost immediately with news of Knox’s official visit, though he says the trip had already been in the works.

“We had already planned it, I was going to go there either way,” he said. “KP really wanted me to come there. So I went in, scheduled a visit. Hopefully, if I do go there, I can potentially change the program, turn the program around. It’s going pretty rough.”

Knox said he doesn’t plan to be Louisville’s saving grace if he does decide to play there. The Cardinals don’t even need one, he says. “You win some, you lose some. You’re not going to win every game. … They’ve basically said I can be helpful to the program and take it to another level.”

So how would Payne’s firing change things with Louisville? Would he still consider the Cardinals if they found a new head coach?

“I’m not really going to comment about that,” Knox said.

Louisville is one of four finalists for the five-star wing, who is rated as the No. 13 overall prospect in the 2024 On3 Industry Ranking. The other three? Kentucky, South Florida and the G League.

His brother played for John Calipari and the Wildcats during the 2017-18 season. Kevin Knox, you may have heard of him. That’s where the family’s relationship with Payne started. But they’re also close with Coach Cal and the Kentucky program.

“They were here practicing, me and the coaching staff talked again. I watched them practice. It’s a pretty good program, pretty good practices, style of play. They’re having a pretty good season so far. It was good seeing them. … Kentucky is definitely an option.”

Then there are the hometown USF Bulls, the Riverview, FL native liking what that staff is selling him.

“I took a visit to USF, it’s a really good program. Coach Amir (Abdur-Rahim) is a great head coach, they’re building up something over there,” he told KSR.

And Knox wants to be a pro, so the pro option certainly intrigues him with the G League.

“That’s always a great option,” he added. “You’re going up against other pros. Ron Holland, Matas Buzelis, they’re all doing their thing over there, top-10 picks.”

That list cut came back in October, a surprise move down from eight programs.

“It just felt like it was time. I had a top eight for like a whole year, it was just time to wind it down,” Knox said. “It’s getting ready to be that time, to make a decision. G League, USF, Kentucky, Louisville, they’re the ones.”

It’s a bit of a tune change from before, previously set on a late decision — no rush. He’s not ready to commit to a commitment necessarily, but he’s not ruling anything out.

“I don’t know. It’s getting pretty tough, making this decision,” he told KSR. “I don’t know when. Time will tell.”

What will he prioritize when the time does come to choose a program?

“It’s my relationship with the coaches, definitely need to have a good relationship with the coaches. You want to go to a college where you know the coaches, know the players,” Knox said. “And you want to go somewhere with a good fanbase, somewhere the crowd gets rocking. You don’t want to play in an open gym, so it’s always good to have those things.”

Will he find those things in Louisville with Kenny Payne? The clock is ticking.