Louisville basketball is having a dominant offseason so far, and it all started after Pat Kelsey landed the No. 1 overall transfer in the portal, Flory Bidunga. The Cardinals' frontcourt got a huge boost with the addition of Bidunga, who is one of the best centers in college basketball after logging 91 blocks this past season, the 4th most in Division I.
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Now, Kelsey will try to build his frontcourt bench, and right now, Louisville has a few options. The Cardinals are in contact with a couple of centers at the moment to play behind Bidunga, but one 7-foot-5 Kentucky center is trending with the Cardinals. On3 Sports Joe Tipton reports Louisville is the “clear frontrunner” for USC transfer Gabe Dynes, and that the race between Dynes is down to the Cardinals and their in-state rival, the Kentucky Wildcats.
Louisville basketball in heated recruiting battle for Gabe Dynes with Kentucky
Dynes was being recruited by other notable schools like North Carolina State, Kansas, and Georgia, but Tipton reports the race is likely to come down to a choice between the two rivals. Dynes grew up about 90 minutes away from each school, as he is from Independence, Ky., and played basketball at Simon Kenton High School, where he averaged 12.5 points and 9.8 rebounds while shooting around 75 percent from the field.
🚨7’5 center Gabe Dynes is down to choosing between Louisville and Kentucky. Via @JoeTipton
— 35KYSports (@35KYSportsMedia) April 24, 2026
The Independence, KY native (Simon Kenton HS) wasn’t a ranked recruit coming out of high school, but has developed into one of the most unique rim protectors in the portal. Began his… pic.twitter.com/F1YJ2tHof3
Now, the Kentucky native is trending with the two powerhouse Kentucky schools, and it appears that Louisville is the favorite after their recent visit, but the Wildcats are making it a recruiting battle. Both schools received visits this past week: the Wildcats on Wednesday, then Louisville on Thursday.
Dynes would be a big boost off the bench for the Cardinals' frontcourt. The 7-foot-5 center was one of the best rim protectors in college basketball his sophomore season, averaging the third most blocks per game with 3.1 blocks per game, and his 104 total blocks ranked No. 2 in college basketball. In his three years, he has a dominant 196 total blocks.
He averaged 6.8 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 70 percent from the field that sophomore season. This past season with USC, he averaged just 11.9 minutes, 2.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game.
Louisville hasn’t received a Crystal Ball prediction, so Kentucky is still in this race, and the two rivals are going head-to-head for a 7-foot-5 in-state transfer.
Dynes ranks as high as a 4-star transfer, No. 152 overall and No. 17 among centers.
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For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.
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