Louisville basketball and Pat Kelsey were making a push for one of the top players in the Transfer Portal, John Blackwell. It was reported last week that Kelsey flew out to California to visit the 5-star, and on social media, new Louisville commit Jackson Shelstad was seen recruiting Blackwell to Louisville as well.
Louisville basketball facing make-or-break moment for John Blackwell amid Duke visit
The Cardinals landed in Blackwell’s final six last weekend and were put in a heated recruiting battle with Alabama, Arizona, UCLA, Duke, and Illinois. However, it quickly became a 3-team battle for Blackwell among Louisville, Duke, and UCLA. Louisville was scheduled to receive a visit from the 5-star, but just moments ago, Louisville fans were gut-wrenched to learn that Blackwell will no longer be taking his visit this week, according to Travis Branham.
5-star transfer John Blackwell cancelled visit to Louisville
It was reported over the weekend that Blackwell scheduled a visit to Duke for Monday, April 20, and another with Louisville later in the week. However, the Cardinals received a crushing update Tuesday afternoon that Louisville will no longer host the 5-star recruit.
Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell will no longer visit Louisville this week, a source tells @247Sports. https://t.co/0u12O1A8MV
— Travis Branham (@TravisBranham_) April 21, 2026
Louisville fans feared this would happen following the Duke visit. The Blue Devils getting the visit first was exactly what the Cardinals didn’t want to happen, as Louisville fans were hoping there would be no updates Monday and Tuesday, but that unfortunately didn’t happen.
The Cardinals got the first update Monday evening when On3 Sports and 247Sports each posted a prediction favoring the Blue Devils. Joe Tipton predicted that Duke would land Blackwell, and then On3 Sports updated his recruiting profile page, listing the Blue Devils at 99.9 percent to earn his commitment.
Shortly after 247 Sports logged a Crystal Ball prediction also favoring Duke, and now a day later, the Cardinals got the crushing news that Blackwell won’t even make the trip to Louisville.
Blackwell was the top portal target for the Cardinals, as he is ranked a 5-star transfer, No. 3 overall, and No. 1 among shooting guards. The Wisconsin transfer averaged over 19 points this past season, made 96 3-pointers, and shot 39 percent from beyond the arc.
With the news coming out that Blackwell officially canceled his visit, the Wisconsin transfer appears to be a lock for the Blue Devils. Louisville will likely give the starting shooting guard position officially to Adrian Wooley, as the former 5-star transfer announced he will return to the Cardinals over the weekend.
Even though Louisville will likely miss on Blackwell, their offseason has still been one of the best in the league. Kelsey landed the No. 1 overall transfer in the portal in Flory Bidunga, along with two 4-star transfers in Jackson Shelstad and Karter Knox.
Related: Louisville's projected 2026-27 lineup is Final Four caliber and Pat Kelsey isn't done
For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.
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