Pat Kelsey and Louisville basketball are trending to have a massive 2026 recruiting class as the Cardinals are in the running for multiple 5-star recruits. Louisville fans are anxiously awaiting 5-star Tyran Stokes and Taylen Kinney's commitments, along with many other recruits.
While the Cardinals await those two crucial commitments, Kelsey decided to look further into the future and get a lead on one of the top recruits in the 2027 recruiting class, Gabe Nesmith. The Cardinals are trending in the right direction early on in Nesmith's recruiting process as the Louisville fans learned late yesterday that the Cardinals will earn an unofficial visit in October, according to Sam Kayser.
Related: Louisville basketball’s top center target is undeniable after Arafan Diane's update
Louisville basketball gets massive update from 5-star SF
Nesmith is not just high on Kelsey's radar, but he is high on the radars of many elite college basketball programs. The junior has already received offers from Kansas, Arizona State, Maryland, USC, Rutgers, and Washington. And now he is scheduling an official visit with Louisville on October 23. It is also worth noting that the 5-star wing scheduled an unofficial visit to Georgia on October 18, Tennessee on October 26, and is trying to work out a visit with South Carolina either in September or October, per Kayser.
NEWS: 2027 5⭐️ Gabe Nesmith has scheduled the following unofficial visits, he told @LeagueRDY:
— Sam Kayser (@KayserHoops) September 16, 2025
Georgia: October 18th
Louisville: October 23rd
Tennessee: October 26th
Nesmith also tells me he’s working on setting up a visit to South Carolina in September or October. #12 in the… pic.twitter.com/Tju3YPFBYf
The 5-star wing is ranked as both a shooting guard and a small forward. ESPN ranks him the highest in the 2027 recruiting class as he ranks No. 12 in the nation and the second-best shooting guard. As for the rest, they view him as a small forward, and 247Sports ranks him the highest at No. 15 in the nation, No. 7 small forward, and the best recruit out of Georgia.
The 6-foot-6, 185-pound wing is a dominant two-way player who can take over on either side of the floor. Nesmith played his freshman season with Montverde Academy, last season with Prolific Prep, and now will play this upcoming season in Overtime Elite with the City Reapers.
Louisville attacking the 2027 class is a good sign that this Cardinals program is turning into one of the best recruiting spots in college basketball. With Nesmith's visit coming the weekend of Louisville's showdown with Kansas, the Cardinals and KFC Yum! Center is poised to leave the 5-star wing nearly speechless.
Related: Louisville must land this 5-star recruit or Cardinals will face major consequences
For all the latest on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.