Yesterday, the Louisville basketball program learned that one of their top prospects, Taylen Kinney, committed to the Kansas Jayhawks. Kinney was a Kentucky native and was all-in on Louisville for an extended period of time, but after Kansas earned a visit in August, Bill Self swiped him right from Pat Kelsey's hands.
The Cardinals now have to move on quickly from Kinney and secure their next player, and it is clear who Kelsey's new No. 1 guard will be in the 2026 cycle. Colben Landrew is one of the top scorers in the 2026 class, and after skyrocketing up the recruiting rankings this offseason, the Cardinals have quickly emerged as one of his top choices.
Louisville is in a heated recruiting battle with UConn and other elite schools, but Kelsey is about to send a message that Landrew is his new No. 1 target for the guard positions in the 2026 recruiting class.
Louisville's all-in on elite 4-star wing after Kinney commits to Kansas
The elite wing is ranked as high as No. 17 in the nation and the No. 3 shooting guard in the 2026 class. With Isaac McKneely and Ryan Conwell being one-and-dones with Louisville, Kelsey either has to strike gold in the Transfer Portal or the 2026 recruiting class, and he is making it clear he wants Landrew to be that guy.
Recently, Landrew cancelled three massive visits to SEC giants Alabama, Auburn, and Georgia, making it appear that Louisville had jumped ahead of all schools in the recruiting race. The other schools in his final 10 include UConn, Texas, Mississippi State, Purdue, Texas A&M, and Ole Miss.
However, Kelsey has made multiple visits to Landrew since the in-house recruiting opened up and appeared at numerous games of his this offseason. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound wing recently visited Louisville in August and reportedly stated that the visit went "amazing" and that he "loved it."
Landrew has had a massive offseason so far, following his dominant junior season, during which he averaged 18.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. He was an All-American honorable mention and recently averaged 15.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.3 steals per game in the 3SSB championship.
The elite wing recruit is also ranked as a small forward by 247Sports rankings, and is ranked No. 9 in the position, and No. 21 in the nation. Kelsey is all-in on this elite recruit, but will have to go up against some SEC giants and UConn if he wants to earn his commitment.
Louisville must secure at least one elite guard from the 2026 recruiting class, and it is clear Landrew is their new top target for this position following Kinney's crushing blow.
Related: Louisville jumps Alabama, Georgia, and Auburn after massive update from 4-star SG
For all the latest on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.