Louisville basketball got a big update Friday night as Pat Kelsey has the Cardinals as a finalist for one of the top transfers in the portal, John Blackwell, according to Jonathan Givony. The Cardinals have reached out to some of the best players to enter the Transfer Portal and remain near the top of their lists, as Louisville has already landed official visits from Flory Bidunga and Jackson Shelstad.
Players in the Transfer portal that the Louisville Cardinals have reached out to
Now, after hosting Shelstad and Bidunga for a visit, Blackwell has reportedly cut his list down to six schools, and the Cards are right there in the mix. Louisville is set to be in a heated recruiting battle for the 5-star transfer with UCLA, Illinois, Duke, Alabama, and Arizona.
NEWS: Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell has narrowed his list to six schools: Alabama, Arizona, Duke, Illinois, Louisville and UCLA, per Todd Ramasar and Alexis Liatsos of Life Sports.
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 11, 2026
Will visit two schools before committing by May 4, a week before the NBA Draft Combine. pic.twitter.com/WS85QzITSH
John Blackwell lists the Louisville Cardinals in final six
Immediately when Blackwell hit the Transfer Portal, the Cardinals fans were raising eyebrows. Louisville fans were hoping former Cardinal Chucky Hepburn could put on his recruiting hat and work hand in hand with Kelsey to get his former Wisconsin teammate to Louisville.
Hepburn and Blackwell played together at Wisconsin for one year, as Hepburn's final season with the Badgers was Blackwell’s freshman season. Hepburn and Blackwell led Wisconsin to a 22-13 record and a spot in the NCAA Tournament, but were upset in the first round by James Madison.
Blackwell then went on to be Wisconsin’s best player this past season after he averaged 19.1, made 96 3’s on 39 percent shooting from beyond the arc, while also averaging  5.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. The Wisconsin transfer is a unanimous 5-star transfer and a top-five transfer in the portal.
Blackwell ranks as high as No. 2 overall in the Transfer Portal and No. 1 among shooting guards. The Cards recently earned a Crystal Ball prediction to land Shelstad, and On3 Sports predicts Louisville to land Bidunga. Now, with Louisville also in the mix for Blackwell and making his final six, the Cardinals could potentially be building an NCAA Title contender team.
it won’t be easy to land Blackwell, but hopefully Hepburn and Kelsey can work some portal magic and get the Wisconsin transfer on campus for a visit and try to land Louisville’s next elite shooting guard.
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For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.