Louisville basketball learned yesterday that the Cardinals are among the seven finalists for top transfer Miles Byrd. Cardinals fans have made it crystal clear all offseason that they want a guard who can play on-ball defense like Chucky Hepburn, and the 4-star San Diego State transfer emerged as the perfect target.
Related: 2 dream, 2 reach, and 2 realistic Transfer Portal targets for Louisville basketball
However, the Cardinals are reportedly in a heated recruiting battle with Baylor, Kentucky, Cincinnati, Providence, Texas, and Vanderbilt, and On3 Sports is making it clear who the favorite is- and it is not Louisville.
One team is the clear favorite for the 4-star transfer Miles Byrd
Pete Nakos reported that of the seven finalists for Byrd, “Providence is trending to land Byrd.”
Byrd would be a huge addition for Louisville and Kelsey as the 4-star transfer is an elite wing who can play both shooting guard and small forward at 6-foot-7, 190-pounds. He ranks as high as No. 7 overall and No. 4 among shooting guards, and No. 1 among small forwards after winning the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year award last year. He averaged 1.9 steals and 1.2 blocks per game for San Diego State in the 2025-26 season, and the year prior, he averaged 2.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.
He is someone Louisville fans immediately circled as someone to address their defensive flaws, but Tipton is now reporting that the Providence Friars are trending to land the Cardinals' target. It was reported that Byrd will announce his commitment sometime today, and if Tipton is right and Providence lands Byrd, Louisville will try to earn its first commitment on Friday.
The Cardinals will host two elite transfers on campus for an official visit on Friday, April 10. The No. 1 overall transfer, Flory Bidunga, and the No. 8 overall transfer, Jackson Shelstad, will be at Louisville for a visit, with the Cardinals hoping to lock up commitments before the two transfers leave.
Bidunga is reportedly hearing a lot of interest from Michigan, Duke, and St. John’s, while Shelstad has a visit scheduled for Arizona next Tuesday. Cardinals fans are anxiously awaiting that first commitment, and with signs pointing to it not being Byrd, Louisville fans are hoping it is either Bidunga, Shelstad, or both on Friday afternoon.
Related: Flory Bidunga Update: Louisville facing 3 major threats to land 5-star transfer
For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.