Louisville basketball cannot afford to miss on this loaded hometown recruiting class

Louisville basketball hasn’t had the results many Cardinals fans were hoping for with the 2026 class, as the Cardinals were all in at first with Tyran Stokes and Taylen Kinney, but both those Kentucky natives have decided to play somewhere else. The Cardinals then shifted their focus to players like Josh Irving and Colben Landrew, but struck out on those two recruits as well.

However, Louisville is off to a hot start in the 2027 class, as they have already secured two commitments, including 4-star Ferlandes Wright and Isaac Ellis, who ranks No. 107 in the recruiting class. And while fans hope Louisville isn't done with the 2027 class, the Cardinals fans are turning their attention to the 2028 class, hoping Pat Kelsey and company are already recruiting hard, as Louisville has a huge opportunity to take over and dominate this class.

Louisville basketball has a huge recruiting opportunity with the 2028 class

While it is still 2026, and it feels so far in 2028, the Cardinals have to get off to a hot start as they did with the 2027 class. Louisville fans made it clear in the early stage of Stokes' recruiting process that they wanted the consensus No. 1 overall recruit in the 2026 class to stay home and play for the city he grew up in. While Stokes decided on playing for a school other than Louisville, the Cardinals have many chances to land a hometown star in the 2028 recruiting class.

The city of Louisville has four players ranked in 247Sports Top 100, giving the Cardinals many chances to land an elite player. The star of these four is 5-star Joshua Lindsay, who ranks as high as No. 20 overall, No. 5 among combo guards, and the best recruit out of Kentucky. Lindsay has already earned offers from Auburn and Virginia Tech and went viral in 2026 for his ability to soar in the air and throw down a dunk with authority.

After Lindsay is the Christian Academy of Louisville star, Boogie Cook. The 6-foot-6, 175-pound small forward is ranked as high as No. 34 overall in the 2028 recruiting class and No. 11 among small forwards. He is ranked as a 4-star in the class and No. 2 out of Kentucky. Cook has already gained interest from powerhouse programs like Kentucky, Ohio State, Auburn, and Purdue, and has one offer from Texas A&M.

Also in the mix is the star of Louisville Male, Jordan Mitchell, who ranks in the 247Sports Top 100 as the 6-foot-3, 175-pound guard, No. 89 overall, No. 16 among combo guards, and No. 3 from Kentucky. Mitchell recently took an unofficial visit to Louisville and has also earned interest from Virginia Tech. The 3-star recruit is averaging 23.6 points and 5 rebounds per game while shooting 54 percent from the field and 40 percent from downtown.

Finally, rounding out the Top 100 in 247Sports rankings is another Louisville native, Myles Howard. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound point guard attends Christian Academy of Louisville and ranks No. 100 in the 2028 recruiting class, No. 13 among point guards, and No. 4 from Kentucky.

Obviously, it won’t be easy to go and secure four commitments from four top 100 recruits, but with them all being right in Louisville’s backyard, hopefully the Cardinals have an early edge. Lindsay is turning heads early and is already ranked as high as a 5-star recruit, but with four Louisville natives ranked in the top 100, hopefully, Louisville can find a way to land at least two of them and keep them home.

For all the latest on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.