The 2027 recruiting class is beginning to amp up, and the Louisville Cardinals are right in the middle of it. Pat Kelsey and the Cardinals have already landed one 4-star recruit in the 2027 recruiting cycle in Ferlandes Wright, and now they will look to earn that major commitment.
Kelsey and Louisville have earned a 5-star commitment in back-to-back recruiting classes, as the Cardinals landed two historic commitments in 5-star Mikel Brown Jr. and Obinna Ekezie Jr. Ekezie was formerly the No. 1 center in the 2027 recruiting class before he reclassified. It is now being reported that Kelsey is making a push to become the No. 1 center in the 2027 recruiting class.
Louisville basketball battling Duke, Kentucky and others for No. 1 center
It was reported earlier this week that Kelsey and Louisville are joining the race for the 5-star center, Lewis Uvwo. The Cardinals are trying to emerge as one of the top recruiting destinations in college basketball, and now Kelsey is trying to be a spot where elite centers begin to commit too.
Over the offseason, Louisville landed Ekezie, who is now the No. 1 center in the 2026 recruiting class, and 5-star transfer and the No. 1 overall transfer in the Transfer Portal, Flory Bidunga. Kelsey is looking to build on that momentum of landing two 5-star centers, as On3 Sports' Jamie Shaw reports that Louisville is one of the newcomers making a push for Uvwo.
As of right now, Louisville is one of 30 teams that have extended an offer to the 5-star center, including elite programs like Alabama, Arkansas, BYU, Duke, Florida, Illinois, Houston, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Texas, and many others. Now, the Cardinals appear to be in the mix for the 5-star as Shaw reports Louisville, Duke, Kentucky, Arkansas, Kansas, and Texas are all “trying to get in the mix with Uvwo.”
The 5-star center ranks as high as No. 7 overall in the 2027 recruiting class and No. 1 among centers. The 6-foot-10, 225-pound center is coming off a dominant Peach Jam event where he displayed his ability to protect the rim, averaging an eye-popping 6.0 blocks per game.
Uvwo is that dominant defensive rim protector Louisville fans love, as he won the Defensive Player of the Year in this summer’s Nike EYBL Circuit after averaging 4.5 blocks per game. Because of his ability to defend and protect the rim, the 5-star saw his rankings soar this summer. He was previously ranked just inside the top-50, but now, as we stated, he is a top-10 recruit in the 2027 recruiting class.
As of right now, it is being reported that Duke, Miami, and BYU are among the top teams making the strongest push. Kelsey is beginning to love his dominant athletic rim-protecting centers, and if Bidunga or Ekezie leave after this upcoming season, then Uvwo is a perfect replacement for one of them.
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