Louisville basketball has had a tough start to the 2027 recruiting class, as the Cardinals just learned moments ago that one of their top targets, Reese Alston, committed to the LSU Tigers. Louisville was heavily involved in the process, with Pat Kelsey making multiple trips this summer to watch Alston live and even visiting him after the 5-star took an official visit to LSU in September.
Louisville and Pat Kelsey just lost another 5-star guard to Will Wade and LSU
However, Kelsey couldn’t work his recruiting magic with Alston, and ultimately the 5-star committed to Will Wade and LSU. This is the second 5-star guard to commit to LSU over Louisville; King Gibson, a top 15 overall recruit, also cut his list to four schools, including Louisville, but committed to the Tigers.
Now, as Louisville misses out on another 5-star guard, the question is who might be next? Well, based on a recent visit and a recent comment, the answer feels pretty clear.
Louisville must go all-in on 5-star Cayden Daughtry
When you look at Louisville’s top remaining targets, a few quickly jump to mind. However, one stands out to us, as Kelsey loves to recruit guards, and he's recently made it clear who his No. 1 target might be.
Louisville recently hosted the No. 3 overall recruit and the No. 2 point guard, Cayden Daughtry, for an official visit, and with Louisville missing out on Alston, we believe Daughtry might be Kelsey’s new No. 1 target. Over the summer, Alston certainly appeared as Lousiville’s top guard target, but after September, it felt like Kelsey flipped it to Daughtry, when the 5-star told reporters that Kelsey stated he “needs” him.
“I wasn’t planning on taking a visit there, but Pat Kelsey really just came down to South Florida when I was at one of my practices and put it straightforward: “We need you. We want you.” stated Daughtry, according to Tipton. “After reconsidering and seeing the energy he had, how Coach Jermaine and everybody came down to practice, and how they were, I couldn’t leave them out. So I decided to take a visit there, and I want to see what’s up. I want to see it firsthand.”
Kelsey attending one of Daughtry’s practices and telling him he needs him is a huge pitch to a 5-star. The elite point guard took the nation by storm this offseason, averaging 32.3 points per game on 56.3% shooting from the field and 38.2% from beyond the arc, plus 6.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.9 steals at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam.
Missing out on Alston stings a little for UofL fans, but now Kelsey must turn his full attention to one of the nation's top guards. Daughtry cut his list to just 14 schools, with Louisville among them, but now, as he takes visits, Kelsey must emerge as a true contender for the unanimous 5-star.
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