Louisville basketball searching for first 2026 commit after Michigan lands 4-star SF

Louisville basketball has yet to earn a 2026 commitment, and the time is ticking for the Cardinals. There are still quite a few recruits on the table that the Cards have extended offers to, but one of the top recruits Louisville made an offer to was scooped up earlier this week when he announced his commitment.

Former 2027 recruit Lincoln Cosby announced his decision a couple of days ago, and while some Louisville fans were hoping they were going to be in his recruiting process after he reclassified to the 2026 class, they didn’t hear much, and he quickly committed to Michigan. Cosby is a unanimous 4-star recruit who was the No. 6 overall prospect in the 2027 class before he reclassified to the 2026 class.

The Cardinals were among the teams that had already extended an offer before his decision to reclass, but Houston, Oregon, Alabama, Ohio State, Auburn, and Michigan also did so. He already took an unofficial visit to Michigan, and it appears that would ultimately foreshadow his decision on the Wolverines.

Louisville basketball may turn to Transfer Portal again

Louisville has already landed two 2027 commitments in next year's recruiting class, but it appears the Cards are struggling to try to land someone for 2026. They were in the running for many elite recruits early on as they made Taylen Kinney’s final three, Colben Landrew’s final three, Tyran Stokes final five, and many others too, but just couldn’t get one to commit.

So, when it was announced that Cosby was set to reclass from 2027 to 2026 and Louisville had already extended an offer, some thought they might try to ramp up their recruiting with the new 2026 4-star. However, Michigan was able to land Cosby in the same month after the former 5-star decided to play college basketball much earlier.

So, with Cosby off the table, who is next? Unfortunatley when looking at the Cardinals' big board for the 2026 recruiting class, everyone to whom Louisville extended an offer is either committed or cut Louisville out of their list. So, with that being the case, it is clear Pat Kelsey must hit the Transfer Portal hard this offseason, which may not be the worst thing, and just go get a handful of players who have already proven themselves.

The Cardinals do have 4-star commitments for 2027 in Ferlandes Wright and Isaac Ellis. Louisville is heavily recruiting this class, having already hosted many recruits on visits and gameday visits, including the No. 1 prospect, CJ Rosser.

Related: 3 game-changing players who could follow Ferlandes Wright to the Louisville Cardinals

For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's 2025-26 season and recruiting, stay tuned.