Louisville basketball is making a strong push in the 2027 recruiting class as the Cardinals look to carry the momentum from their offseason recruiting surge. Pat Kelsey went on a dominant run, bringing in seven players from the Transfer Portal, including the No. 1 overall transfer, and a top-two overall Transfer Portal class in the nation, along with landing three recruits from the 2026 cycle, including 5-star center and top-15 overall prospect Obinna Ekezie Jr.
Now, he will try to stay red-hot and bring this recruiting surge into the 2027 recruiting class. The Cardinals had a couple of big recruiting months in July and August, not only traveling to watch 5-star prospects in person and build relationships, but also landing on multiple recruits' updated lists.
One of those recruits the Cardinals got some good news from is the 5-star forward DeMarcus Henry. The elite small forward is currently on campus for an official visit, and On3 Sports is labeling Kelsey and Louisville as the clear favorite right now.
Rivals has Louisville as the frontrunner for 5-star DeMarcus Henry
Back on July 8, the Cardinals got a major update from Henry that they made the 5-star’s final eight. That update put Kelsey and Louisville in a recruiting battle with major programs like UConn, Kansas, Arkansas, North Carolina, BYU, Ohio State, and Kentucky.
With Henry arriving on campus for a marquee visit, Rivals is giving Louisville fans something to be excited about, as Rivals' prediction meter has the Cards as the dominant favorite right now. Currently, Louisville has the best chances to land Henry, according to RPM Picks, with the Cardinals having a 40.5 percent chance. The next closest team is Ohio State at 13.3 percent, followed by BYU at 11.4 percent. Everyone else is below two percent.
So now Henry is taking his official visit to Louisville, where, leading up to the visit, Rivals has the Cardinals as the frontrunner, giving Kelsey a huge opportunity to separate the Cardinals from the race and take a massive lead. If the Cardinals land Henry, it would be a historic commitment for Kelsey and the Cards basketball program.
Right now, Henry ranks as high as No. 2 overall in the nation and No. 1 among small forwards, according to ESPN. He also has a rating of .9993, according to 247Sports, which means that if he committed to Louisville, he would be the highest-rated commitment in Cardinals history.
The 6-foot-7, 200-pound forward played in the Nike EYBL Scholastic league with Compass Prep, where he made the All-Nike EYBL Scholastic Second Team and MaxPreps All-America Junior Honorable Mention after averaging 12.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. He then made the Nike EYBL Peach Jam All-Second Team after averaging 18.2 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.2 steals per game.
This is one Louisville fans need to keep a close eye on, as Kelsey is gaining some serious momentum as one of the top prospects in the 2027 recruiting class. Recruiting is heating up, and Louisville is in a prime position with one of the top recruits.
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