Louisville basketball is one of the top programs in the mix for 5-star guard Jordan Smith Jr, and after the latest update, Kelsey is still among the top. The highly explosive 6-foot-2, 200-pound guard is ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation, just behind Louisville native Tyran Stokes.
The Cardinals have been trending with Smith in the early stage of his recruitment, as Louisville was one of the first three programs to earn a visit. The consensus 5-star guard visited Louisville back in October for preseason games, and ever since, have maintained a good relationship with the Cardinals.
Now, the Cardinals have learned that the 5-star guard has scheduled official visits with Kentucky and Arkansas, and also plans to make another trip to the University of Louisville, according to On3 Sports/Rivals' Joe Tipton.
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Jordan Smith Jr. plans to schedule official visit to Louisville
The Cardinals are one of five programs that Smith would like to schedule a visit before announcing his commitment, Tipton reported. The other four programs include Syracuse, Duke, Georgetown, and Indiana.
Duke and Syracuse are the only other two programs to have earned visits so far, but it was just reported that the combo guard will visit Arkansas on September 20 and Kentucky on October 12.
5⭐️ Jordan Smith Jr. has scheduled official visits to Arkansas and Kentucky, he tells @Rivals.
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) July 22, 2025
The 6-2 guard says he would also like to visit Louisville, Duke, Indiana, Georgetown, and Syracuse before making a commitment.
Smith discusses each of those programs:… pic.twitter.com/IYrYxHatN9
The Cardinals were once among the top favorites to land Smith, but since Kentucky missed out on 5-star guard Jason Crowe Jr., the Wildcats have emerged as one of the frontrunners.
Related: Louisville strikes out on No. 4 recruit in nation as 5-star guard commits to Missouri
On3 Sports recently updated their odds for Smith's commitment, and Duke remains at the top with a 32.4 percent chance, followed by Kentucky at 21.5 percent and Arkansas at 18.4 percent to round out the top three. After those three, Louisville and Syracuse are tied with 5.4 percent each.
It is huge news that the Cardinals are still one of Smith's top teams he is considering, and earning another visit would be crucial. The Cardinals are set to play Kansas at the KFC Yum! Center, which could be a massive pitch to earn one of their dream targets in the 2026 cycle.
While many fans thought Louisville was out of the race or falling drastically behind, if the Cardinals can secure a visit for the Kansas matchup and have him watch 5-star Mikel Brown Jr. in action, then they might have a golden opportunity to steal him from Duke or Kentucky.
Louisville has a lot of ground to make up, but after Tipton's report, it is clear the Cardinals still have life.
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For all the latest on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.