Louisville basketball received crushing news from an elite 4-star prospect Friday night as the Cardinals learned they will no longer be in the running for the nation's best center in the 2026 recruiting class.
Arafan Diane updated his recruiting list on Friday, according to On3 Sports Joe Tipton, and the 4-star center cut his list from 12 schools down to five. Diane is not only the best center in the recruiting class, but at 7-foot-4, he is trending to be a top 15 recruit in the nation.
Diane cut his list down to Arkansas, Kentucky, Indiana, Virginia, and Houston. Louisville was one of seven programs to get crushed by the 4-star prospect, making Pat Kelsey and company search for their new star center in the 2026 recruiting class.
NEWS: 2026 Top-10 overall recruit Arafan Diane is down to five schools, source tells @Rivals.
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) September 5, 2025
The 7-foot big man is the No. 1 ranked center in the country. He has official visits set to each of his finalists: https://t.co/zl8rRw86g9 pic.twitter.com/K4RNe5rr2s
Related: 6 dream 5-star targets for Louisville basketball in the 2026 recruiting class
Louisville basketball gets crushing update from 4-star center
Losing out to Diane is a crushing blow to Louisville fans as the elite center is ranked as high as the No. 15 prospect in the 2026 recruiting class, and is the best center across all recruiting platforms.
The Cardinals fans have wanted a dominant center for quite some time now, and they know a player with Diane's height would be massive in Kelsey's style of play. However, Louisville appears to have lost the battle to Kentucky, Arkansas, and others and now must search elsewhere.
When looking at the 2026 recruiting class, another name Louisville fans should immediately begin to scout is Joshua Iriving. The 6-foot-10, 200-pound center is ranked as high as No. 6 in the position and has an official visit scheduled with Louisville on September 19.
Louisville is going ot have a hard time earning the top centers in the 2026 recruiting class if they want a shot at earning Tyran Stokes and Taylen Kinney's commitment. Kelsey had a massive Transfer Portal class in 2025, making fans have high expectations for the 2026 recruiting class.
The Cardinals have yet to land any commitments, but are in the running for many elite 5-star recruits.
Related: Louisville basketball's 2026 recruiting class wish list
For all the latest on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.