Louisville basketball takes another recruiting hit as elite 5-star PG cuts Cardinals

Louisville basketball's 2026 recruiting woes continue, as the Cardinals found out Monday afternoon that one of the top prospects in the class has cut the Cards from his list. The Cardinals' 2026 recruiting class has been a disappointment, as Louisville has struck out on multiple 5-stars and 4-stars. Recently, Louisville learned that they struck out on Marcus Johnson, who ranks as high as No. 28 in the class and the No. 3 point guard, and now they have just learned they were cut from 5-star Deron Rippey Jr.'s list, per Joe Tipton.

The Cardinals made Rippey's top 10 list in early September, but the 5-star point guard cut his list down to five schools, and Louisville unfortunately wasn't one of those teams. Rippey's updated list includes Tennessee, North Carolina State, Duke, Miami, and Texas. Louisville fans did see some good news as they saw that Kentucky was also cut, along with North Carolina, Syracuse, and others.

Related: ACC foe emerges as biggest threat to steal Louisville basketball's bold PGU claim

Louisville basketball cut from elite 5-star PG

The Cardinals striking out on Rippey Jr. is a blow, but it was a bit expected. The Cardinals earned an official visit from Rippey Jr. last year for the Tennessee game, and Louisville continued to grow its relationship with the 5-star throughout the season. The Cardinals took a visit to Rippey Jr. High School this past spring to watch him practice, helping Louisville have one of the best chances to land the 5-star's commitment.

Louisville was given the best odds to land Rippey Jr. for a brief moment, but after he cut his list to 10 schools and visited all the other schools, Louisville didn't gain much traction and lost a lot of momentum in the race. While Louisville lost a lot of momentum in this race, Duke and North Carolina State have emerged as the new favorites.

The Cards and Pat Kelsey are trying to emerge as 'PGU' in college basketball, and Rippey Jr. would have been a massive boost for this campaign. The 5-star ranks as high as No. 8 in the 2026 recruiting class and the No. 1 point guard. He is an elite guard who is one of the best scorers in this class. He won multiple MVP awards, including the Steph Curry Camp, the Adidas Palmetto Road Championships, and the USA Mini Camp Championship.

Louisville has now struck out on multiple of its top targets, including Tyran Stokes, Taylen Kinney, Colebn Landrew, Josh Irving, and now Rippey Jr. The Cardinals dominated the Transfer Portal last year, and after another recruiting miss, it appears they must do it again this offseason.

For all the latest on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.