Louisville basketball's 2026 dream list suffered a massive blow Thursday morning as the Cardinals found out they did not make 4-star Chris Washington Jr.'s updated list, per On3Sports/Rivals Joe Tipton. The Tennessee native is one of the top recruits in the 2026 cycle and is regarded as a unanimous 4-star prospect.
Washington is ranked as high as the No. 26 recruit in the nation and the top recruit out of the state of Tennessee. The Cardinals weren't ever really a team Washington was considering, but Louisville did extend an offer to the 4-star small forward back in January 2025.
This news doesn't come as a surprise and just makes it even clearer that Louisville is all-in on the No. 1 recruit in the nation and the top small forward in the class, Tyran Stokes.
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Louisville basketball strikes out on 4-star SF
Washington cut his list down to seven schools after earning over 20 offers. The teams that moved on to the next round include the dominant favorite Alabama, followed by Tennessee, Auburn, Ole Miss, Cincinnati, Villanova, and Florida A&M.
The Cardinals fans had their eyes on Washington, but knew they weren't a team in the running. It is clear from his updated list that Washington is set on either being in the SEC or a program's No. 1 guy in year one.
NEWS: 2026 Top-25 recruit Chris Washington Jr. is down to seven schools, he tells @Rivals.
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) July 21, 2025
The 6-8 small forward is the No. 1 ranked player in the state of Tennessee. https://t.co/8VhFsFGYJK pic.twitter.com/f6klY0FMZY
Kelsey and his staff will continue to make it clear that they want the Louisville native and the No. 1 recruit in the cycle. Stokes has been keeping his recruiting process on the down low for the most part, but as of late, it is becoming clear that it is a three-team race.
The Cardinals earned a visit from Stokes back in October, but hopefully will earn another visit before he announces his commitment. Other notable names fans should know about, and who Louisville has made in updated lists, include: 5-star guard Taylen Kinney's top 12, 5-star guard Ikenna Alozie's top eight, 5-star guard Deron Rippey Jr.'s top 12, 5-star guard Jaxon Richardson's top 10, and 4-star forward Cole Cloer's top eight.
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For all the latest on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.