With Louisville basketball’s 2025-26 season coming to an end, the Transfer Portal is already approaching, and Louisville has to be heavily involved. The Cardinals will lose six key players from last year's roster, and with zero 2026 commitments, Pat Kelsey has to go get some big-time players from the portal for the third straight time.
3 players Pat Kelsey and Louisville basketball must bring back next season
The Transfer Portal will officially open on April 7 and will be a two-week window this year, closing on April 21. However, with many teams' seasons coming to an end, coaches being fired, and new coaches being hired, the portal already has over 100 names.
Yesterday, one of the biggest names entered the portal, and Kelsey and Louisville should be in contact with this former 5-star immediately, as he is exactly what Louisville needs.
Pat Kelsey should be all over former 5-star who just entered the portal
Oregon transfer Kwame Evans Jr. is someone the Cardinals fans are immediately circling in the portal and are hoping Kelsey is contacting. Last year, Louisville lacked size and physicality against elite teams, and when watching the Oregon transfer, he brings exactly that to the table.
NEWS: Oregon forward Kwame Evans Jr. plans to enter the @TransferPortal, his agent James Dunleavy of @excelsm told @On3.
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) March 23, 2026
⁰The 6-10 junior and former 5⭐️ recruit averaged 13.3 points and 7.4 rebounds this season. Expected to be one of the more sought-after players in the portal.… pic.twitter.com/HbgGG96w9m
The former 5-star recruit ranked as high as No. 15 in the 2023 class, No. 4 among power forwards, and was the top recruit out of Florida. He earned over 28 offers after being named a McDonald’s All-American, but he committed to Oregon over Arizona, Kentucky, Auburn, Florida, and many others.
Now, he ranks as the No. 2 overall transfer in the Transfer Portal and the No. 1 power forward. The consensus 4-star transfer brings physicality and size at 6-foot-10, 220 pounds, and is coming off his best season with the Ducks after starting in all 30 games and averaging an impressive 13.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.0 steals per game.
He shot 45.4 percent from the field, and scored in double figures 23 times, scored 15 points or more 11 times, 20 points or more five times, and his season high was 24 points against UCLA on 9-of-18 from the field, 4-of-10 from downtown, and added eight rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and one steal.
There is no guarantee Khani Rooths will be back, and adding a player like Evans, who has proven he can defend at a high level and be a liable offensive threat, is exactly what the Cardinals need to get this offseason. He will be one of the top prospects in the portal this offseason, which means he won’t be easy to earn a commitment from, but if Kelsey can work his magic like he did last year, the former 5-star and current 4-star transfer is emerging as the perfect power forward target for the Louisville Cardinals.
Related: 4 Louisville Cardinals on Transfer Watch after NCAA Tournament exit
For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.