Louisville’s hot start has this Cardinal crashing the National Player of the Year race

Louisville basketball is off to a hot 4-0 start, and a glaring reason the Cardinals' best start in five seasons is the newcomers Pat Kelsey was able to bring in. Kelsey had a massive offseason in the Transfer Portal and the 2025 recruiting class. Louisville added three elite players from the portal, and through the Cards' first five games, Louisville fans are beyond pleased with their performances.

The Cardinals fans saw Mikel Brown Jr. get a lot of the spotlight and earn freshman of the week last week, highlighted by his 29-point performance against Kentucky. The 5-star freshman is living up to his hype and is leading this team to glory, but the player who has the national media talking and is already in Player of the Year discussions is the Xavier transfer, Ryan Conwell.

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Louisville’s red hot start has Ryan Conwell earning high praise

Jamie Shaw of On3 Sports is the Senior National Recruiting Analyst for On3 Sports, and on Monday afternoon, the analyst put out his top 10 players for the National Player of the Year so far, and Conwell is right where he belongs.

The Cardinals guard comes in ranked No. 10 on the list, and while he should probably be ranked a little higher, and fans can make a case for him to be above Darryn Peterson, who has played only two games, it is good to see him on the list. Conwell is averaging 19.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game while shooting 43.8 percent from beyond the arc and 43.5 percent from the field.

Louisville's starting small forward has exceeded all expectations through four games, fitting in perfectly with Kelsey's system. Louisville's fast-paced offense allows Conwell to take off in transition and attack the rim, while in half-court offense, he is splashing 3.5 3-pointers per game and creating his own space to get open shots.

This Cardinals backcourt is lethal, and they are proving early on that they can be one of the best in the nation. Conwell deserves all the national attention he is getting, and he deserves to be part of the National Player of the Year talks this early.

For all the latest news and updates on the Louisville basketball 2025-26 season and recruiting, stay tuned.