1. Mikel Brown Jr.
Well, this was easy to predict. However, Louisville's historic 5-star commitment will, hands down, start every game next season. Mikel Brown Jr. comes to Louisville with maybe the most hype in the Cardinals' program history. He is the talk of college basketball after his dominant Team USA gold medal run this offseason, where he led the USA in points, assists, efficiency, and made 3-pointers.
In high school, he ranked as high as No. 6 in the 2025 recruiting class and was the No. 1 point guard in the cycle. He is the second-highest commit in program history and is expected to lead this team to its first NCAA Title since 2013.
Brown is a projected top-five pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. He has incredibly high expectations for this upcoming season, but Kelsey has made it clear that the keys are in his hands, and Louisville will go as far as he can take them. The 6-foot-5 guard is poised for a massive season with Kelsey and his style of play.
Related: The next big thing in College Basketball is heading to Louisville basketball
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