Louisville basketball in hot pursuit for 2026 5-star phenom

Louisville basketball's 2026 recruiting class hasn't gone quite as planned, as the Cards have struck out on all their top targets, including Kentucky natives Tyran Stokes and Taylen Kinney. Louisville has yet to land a commitment from a high school in the 2026 class, but the Cardinals fans are hoping that could change with a massive splash.

Recently, the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2027 recruiting class, Bruce Branch III, reclassed to the 2026 recruiting class, and the Cards were one of the top schools to extend an offer to him before he reclassed. Well, yesterday Branch had a huge high school showdown against Southeastern Prep, and good news for Louisville fans is that assistant coach Thomas Carr was courtside, according to Travis Branham.

Related: 5-star phenom emerges as Louisville’s top target after reclassifying to 2026 class

Louisville basketball in attendance for 5-star SF

Now, this game was filled with elite recruits, including 2027 phenoms CJ Rosser and Nasir Anderson, who Louisville also extended offers to, but Cardinals fans are hoping Carr was in attendance for the 5-star small forward.

Before Branch reclassified, he was the consensus 5-star prospect and ranked as high as the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2027 class. Now that he has reclassified to the 2026 class, he remains a 5-star recruit and a top 10 prospect in the nation. The 5-star forward ranks as high as No. 5 in the country by On3 Sports, and ranks No. 6 by 247 Sports.

After Louisville missed on a Louisville native and the No. 1 overall recruit in Stokes, Branch is now a golden opportunity. Branch is the perfect 5-star to go all-in, and with their assistant coach courtside during Louisville's crucial four-game stretch, hopefully, Louisville can try and get a visit in the near future.

It is great to see Carr courtside to watch Branch, but this won't be an easy battle. Branch has over 22 offers from elite programs such as Tennessee, Houston, Arizona, and Indiana. However, hopefully, since Louisville hasn't earned a commitment yet that can actually benefit them. They can pitch it as Branch's team next season, and they can surround him with elite players from the Transfer Portal, similar to what they did last year and in the 2025 recruiting class with Mikel Brown Jr.

College basketball fans haven't heard much about Branch since he changed his class to 2026, so Louisville fans are hoping this could be good for them. The Cardinals made their offer in May 2025, so it is one of the more recent ones, but Pat Kelsey continues to make recruiting pitches throughout the season and is now using Brown and the 2025-26 season as a recruiting pitch to convince elite recruits to come to Louisville.

Branch averaged 15.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game while shooting 39 percent from downtown last spring for the Compton Magic in the Adidas 3SSB circuit. The 6-foot-7 forward has a 7-foot-2 wingspan and is labeled as one of the best 3-point shooters in the nation. Anyone who likes to shoot the 3-ball is a perfect fit for Kelsey and the Cards, making him Louisville's clear No. 1 target.

Related: Pat Kelsey gives fiery recruiting pitch after Louisville's dominant win over Ohio

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