Louisville basketball's 2026 recruiting class didn't go the way many fans had hoped, but the Cardinals have a redemption opportunity with former 4-star target Cole Cloer. The 2026 recruit committed to North Carolina State, but after Will Wade left the Wolfpack for LSU, the 4-star announced he will enter the Transfer Portal.
Who's coming and who's going: Louisville basketball 2026 Transfer Portal tracker
The Transfer Portal is officially open and will be available from Tuesday, April 7, until Tuesday, April 21. Louisville basketball and Pat Kelsey are reportedly expected to be highly involved for a third straight offseason. Joe Tipton and On3 Sports report that Louisville is expected to spend $8-10 million on the portal this offseason, and with the Cards rebuilding its roster, Cloer emerges as a potential target.
Former Louisville basketball 4-star SF enters the Transfer Portal
The former NC State commit announced on April 3 that, with Wade leaving the Wolfpack for the LSU Tigers, he will enter the Transfer Portal.
🫶 pic.twitter.com/BjWH7BhcCo
— Cole Cloer (@colecloerr) April 3, 2026
Before his commitment to the Wolfpack, the Cardinals were one of his final eight choices, and were a team he scheduled an official visit with. Louisville was in a recruiting battle with powerhouse programs as Cloer earned over 20 offers after being a consensus top 100 recruit.
The Cardinals beat out programs like Kentucky, Arkansas, Illinois, Tennessee, Oregon, Miami, and many others. He cut his list to just eight schools where Louisville battled elite programs, but Virginia, Indiana, and the Cardinals didn’t make the final five cut as Cloer cut the list to  Florida, UConn, NC State, North Carolina, and Alabama.
However, it now appears Kelsey has another opportunity to earn the 4-star recruit's commitment, as he will be entering the Transfer Portal. The former 4-star recruit ranked as high as No. 59 in the 2026 class and No. 23 among small forwards. Louisville extended the offer to Cloer on the first day that coaches were allowed to make offers to 2026 recruits, back in June, 2024.
The elite scorer averaged 20.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game with Caldwell before the 4-star transferred to IMG Academy. He was a dominant playmaker and scorer in high school at Caldwell, where he scored 1,695 points in three years, logged 624 rebounds, and 264 assists.
Now, the elite scorer is available again as he ranks as high as No. 43 overall in the portal and No. 6 among small forwards. The Cards have already seen three forwards enter the transfer portal, and with Cloer being a former target, he is someone Louisville fans should keep an eye on.
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For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's 2025-26 season and recruiting, stay tuned.