3 recruits Pat Kelsey and Louisville must land to prove their bold ‘PGU’ claim

2. Deron Rippey Jr.

Louisville is trending in the right direction for many guards, and specifically point guards, but someone they have been in talks with for a long time now is 5-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr. Louisville first earned a gameday visit from Rippey back in November 2024, and then traveled to New Jersey in spring 2025 to watch Rippey practice.

Louisville has made it clear he is one of their top targets, and with the summer he has had, if the Cardinals can claim Rippey, he would most certainly back up Kelsey's PGU claim. Rippey won multiple MVP awards this offseason and jumped in the 2026 rankings as he now ranks as high as No. 8 in the nation and the No. 2 point guard.

Louisville's relationship continues to grow as the Cardinals are now in the 5-star top 10 and in a heated recruiting battle with Duke, Kentucky, and others. Rippey has proven multiple times throughout high school that he is one of the best scorers in this 2026 class, and if Kelsey can land a guy with his skills, then college basketball fans can't argue Kelsey's bold comment anymore.