Louisville basketball has been trending towards many superstars in the 2026 recruiting class, but a name that everyone is eyeing is 5-star point guard Deron Rippey Jr. The New Jersey native is emerging as not just one of the best point guards in the 2026 class but one of the best players.
Rippey has shown pure brilliance all offseason as he recently won MVP at the Adidas Palmetto Road Championships earlier this summer. The Cardinals are one of his top 12 teams after he cut his list down, as he earned over 44 offers.
However, this weekend the Cardinals face pressure from Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats as the 5-star will be in Kentucky but will be visiting the Wildcats, making this rivalry and recruiting battle heat up.
Top-20 overall recruit Deron Rippey Jr., one of the best point guards in the 2026 class, will take an official visit to Kentucky this weekend, source tells @Rivals. https://t.co/kbQojqna8M https://t.co/WKesYYSDNj pic.twitter.com/C3Lh1mfyFP
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) July 31, 2025
Related: Louisville fans holding breath after 5-star PG and top target names final 12
Louisville basketball under pressure after top target Deron Rippey Jr. visits Kentucky
The Cardinals have long been the frontrunner to land Rippey as Louisville's assistant coach, who flew out to New Jersey to watch a practice back in April and has been to multiple games of his at various events.
Before winning the MVP award at the Adidas Palmetto Road Championships, Rippey averaged 21.7 points, 4.3 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game at the NBPA Top 100 Camp, showcasing that he can be one of the best players in the nation.
The Wildcats' earning a visit from this coveted guard is not a sign to completely panic, but after the Wildcats struck out on Jason Crowe Jr., and also making Rippey's top 12, it is clear the Cardinals are going to be in a big-time recruiting battle with Kentucky for both Rippey and Taylen Kinney.
Rippey will be visiting Kentucky this weekend, and Louisville fans will be holding their breath the entire time. While the Cardinals are all-in on Kinney Rippey, he is slowly becoming the nation's No. 1 point guard in the class, with many experts extremely high on him.
His ability to control the pace of the game while twitching through the lane and finishing through contact is impressive. He is offensively gifted as he is one of the best pure scorers in the class and is the glaring reason why he won the New Jersey Player of the Year last year.
He comes in ranked No. 17 in the nation and the No. 2 point guard in the 2026 class. Louisville earned an official visit from Rippey last October for the Tennessee game, but hasn't been back since. He has now scheduled a visit to nearly every other school in his final 12.
After his trip to Kentucky, he will head to Miami and North Carolina this month, followed by Alabama, Texas, and Syracuse in September, Indiana, Tennessee in October, and Kansas in November.
As of today, On3 Sports gives Louisville and Kentucky a 7.4 percent chance of landing the 5-star point guard, but after his visit, that might change in favor of the Wildcats. This next month will be crucial for Louisville to keep the relationship growing and to try to earn another key visit before he makes his commitment.
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For all the latest on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.