Louisville football learned heartbreaking news from one of their top commitments in the 2026 cycle. Josiah Hope announced he will decommit from Louisville and will begin looking elsewhere.
Hope was ranked as high as a 4-star recruit and the second-best recruit from Kentucky. The Cardinals will now have to look elsewhere, but it will be hard to find a replacement at his skill as he is ranked as high as the 67th-best defensive lineman and is ranked No. 274 in the nation.
The Purdue Boilermakers are now the dominant favorite to land the Kentucky native, as he recently took a visit on June 6. Hope has earned 11 total offers, including from LSU, Auburn, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Arkansas, and, of course, Purdue.
Full story: Elite 4-star commit gives Louisville football gut-wrenching update after Purdue visit
Louisville basketball expects crucial visit from 5-star forward
Louisville basketball is expecting a visit later in the summer from crucial 5-star forward Qayden Samuels, per 247Sports' Jody Demling. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound forward currently attends Bishop McNamara High School out in Maryland and is emerging as one of the best forwards in the country.
The 5-star forward is ranked as high as the tenth-best recruit in the 2026 class and the fourth-best small forward, per ESPN. On3 Sports also ranks him as a shooting guard and ranks No. 15 in the nation and the fourth-best shooting guard.
Samuels is averaging 21.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 43.5 percent from the floor and 43.1 percent from downtown in the 17U EYBL division.
Related: Game-changing 5-star forward trending towards Louisville basketball this summer
Louisville basketball reportedly all-in on 5-star Tay Kinney
Louisville basketball is reportedly all-in on 5-star Tay Kinney, per 247Sports Jody Demling. Kinney reportedly stated that the Cardinals told him that he is their guy, and the track history agrees. The Cardinals have been in contact and trending with Kinney a lot recently, as he took a visit to Louisville earlier this month and signed with Adidas earlier in the year.
"They just told me that I was their guy," Kinney stated, according to Demling's report. "I fit perfectly into their system, and there's no other school that I fit better into than them."
On3 Sports gives Louisville the second-best chance to land the 5-star commitment. Louisville appears to be in a massive recruiting showdown with the Kentucky Wildcats for the Kentucky native. The 5-star prospect is ranked as high as the No. 14 recruit in the 2026 class.
Related: Louisville basketball trending toward a new No. 1 5-star target in 2026