Louisville basketball: 3 players who could be next commitment for Cards

No. 2 – Jalen Warley – Guard

6’4, 175-pounds – Norristown, PA

Recruiting status: Final 10

The guard spot seems to be an early focus for Chris Mack as he’s prioritized players like Bobby Pettiford Jr., El Ellis, and the second player on our list, Jalen Warley. It makes sense. David Johnson has emerged into a legit top 15 NBA prospect in the 2021 Draft and with Carlik Jones being a senior it leaves Josh Nickelberry and D’Andre Davis as the only guards on the roster for 2021-22.

That means that if Johnson does in fact leave Louisville after two seasons, a ton of minutes could be available at the guard position for the Cards. Enter one of the nation’s most lethal combo guards in Warley. Mack finds himself in the thick of an ongoing battle for the five-star guard along with numerous other programs including Memphis, Virginia, Oregon, Florida State just to name a few and has as good of chance as any to land his services.

We’ve now heard from a number of different people, including analysts and players, that Mack and staff have been working their tails off during the pandemic with virtual recruiting. After numerous zoom calls and virtual visits, Warley put Louisville on the list of his final ten schools for consideration and they sit in a great spot to close on a player who would by all accounts be a game-changer to their class, bringing even more firepower to the future backcourt of Johnson (should he stay) Pettiford Jr, Nickelberry, and Davis.

247 Sports’ scouting report on Warley gives us a good insight into why Mack and Louisville have prioritized the four-star guard. “Big guard with size, skill, and solid athleticism”… “Ability to be a primary ball-handler who makes others better”….”Capable of switching and guarding multiple positions.” He fits what they look for in the backcourt due to his size, length (6’9 wingspan), scoring, and defensive versatility and whether he’s playing at the point guard position or off the ball in a scoring role, he’s more than capable of being whatever the team dictates.

The recruitment of Warley still seems wide open as no crystal ball projections have been made and there’s been no talk of one school leading the race, so as long as Louisville still has a need for a guard (meaning Ellis or someone else doesn’t commit first) they should be in it to the very end.