Louisville basketball and Pat Kelsey had one of the best offseasons in college basketball. The Cardinals landed nine commitments the past few months, including six from the Transfer Portal and three from the 2026 recruiting class.
The Cardinals had multiple eye-popping additions, including 5-star transfer Flory Bidunga and 5-star 2026 commitment Obinna Ekezie Jr. Louisville had a glaring weakness this past season in its frontcourt, and the Cardinals and Kelsey made a marquee adjustment to go attack the frontcourt and make some huge moves in the offseason.
While the Cardinals' roster appears to be set, Louisville fans are keeping their eyes on a few players right now. One of the biggest updates this offseason was Dusty May taking the Dallas Mavericks head coach job, which now gives Michigan players a chance to return or enter the portal. Louisville fans have a couple of names in mind, but with Cardinals fans wanting one more piece in its frontcourt, LSU transfer Jalen Reed continues to stay in Cards fans' minds.
Louisville basketball fans keeping a close eye on Michigan's Jalen Reed
Now, to be clear, there have been no rumors or reports that the Cardinals have contacted Reed or are considering him if he enters the portal. Since Michigan learned May was leaving the Wolverines, five players have already announced they will return, including Elliot Cadeau, Trey McKinney, Lincoln Cosby, JP Estrella, and Moustapha Thiam.
Reed is one of many who have not announced they will stay with Michigan, raising a few eyebrows among Louisville fans. The Cardinals fans made it clear they would like another true power forward, which was one of the main reasons the Cardinals entered the mix for 5-star transfer Milan Momcilovic.
But since Momcilovic committed to Kentucky, it is definitley worth monitoring Reed and his situation. If the LSU transfer decides to leave Michigan and enter the Transfer Portal again, the Cardinals and Kelsey should absolutely reach out to the 4-star transfer.
Louisville’s frontcourt was its glaring weakness this past season, and while the Cards made some big-time moves this offseason in their frontcourt, Reed would be a huge depth addition for the power forward position. As of right now, the Cardinals' starting power forward is likely Álvaro Folgueiras, and behind the Iowa transfer, Louisville doesn’t have a true power forward.
They have Karter Knox and Boyuan Zhang, who are small forwards, but could play up, and then Flory Bidunga and Obinna Ekezie Jr., who are centers and could play down, but not another true power forward.
So, if Reed enters the portal again, he would be a dream addition for this Cardinals squad that would add much-needed depth at the power forward position. The LSU transfer is a 4-star transfer who ranked as high as No. 163 overall in the Transfer Portal and No. 33 among power forwards.
He was ranked as a 4-star recruit out of high school in the 2022 recruiting class. The past two seasons, he played a combined 14 games, but the last time he played a full year, he averaged 7.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks per game in just 22 minutes.
Louisville is already trending toward a top-15 team in the nation, and if Reed decides to enter the portal, the Cardinals should 100 percent reach out to add depth at the power forward position.
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