Louisville basketball hasn’t had the 2026 recruiting class that fans or the program were hoping for. With the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit from Louisville and the best point guard in the class from Kentucky, Cardinals fans were hoping to have more than zero commitments in the class by late February.
However, the Cardinals are making a late push for a 2026 prospect, and Louisville fans should be fired up. Recently, it was reported that the Cardinals made an offer to 4-star recruit Boyuan Zhang over the weekend. The elite small forward has seen his rankings skyrocket in 2026, as he is now a unanimous 4-star and ranks as high as 25th in the 2026 recruiting class, and it appears Louisville is entering the recruiting race.
PK loves his lefties. 247Sports Composite 4⭐️ Boyuan Zhang picked up an offer from Louisville.
— Point Guard U (@thepointguardU) February 25, 2026
He is scheduled to visit Louisville in the near future, per @AdamZagoria.
As a member of the Class of 2026, he is one to keep an eye on. #GoCards
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Louisville basketball hunting first 2026 commitment with recent offer
Zhang continues to rise in the 2026 recruiting class, as 247Sports and On3 Sports rank him as a consensus top-100 recruit and a 4-star prospect. On3 Sports has him ranked No. 25 in the 2026 recruiting class, No. 8 among small forwards, and No. 7 in California. As for 247Sports, they rank him as high as No. 76 in the nation, No. 30 among small forwards, but the seventh best from the state of California.
The 6-foot-7, 205-pound small forward has earned over nine offers, including from Power Four programs like Oregon, Illinois, Cal, and USC. He has also already taken multiple visits, including to Illinois, Cal, and Minnesota, and has one scheduled for Oregon.
The Cardinals are trying to make a late push for the surging small forward, who is averaging an impressive 19.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game in the Nike EYBL Scholastic League. He has also represented China in FIBA tournaments, including the FIBA U17 World Cup and the FIBA U18 Asia Cup. He has played 26 games for China on the international stage and is averaging 17.3 points and 4.4 rebounds.
The Cardinals will look to earn an official visit from the 4-star recruit and land their first commitment of the 2026 class. With Zhang rankings soaring over the recent weeks, it won't be an easy recruiting battle, but hopefully Kelsey and the Cardinals can work some magic.
Related: Louisville basketball commit earns MVP honor over 5-star Taylen Kinney and others
For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's 2025-26 season and recruiting, stay tuned.