Unfortunately, last night, the Louisville basketball program learned that its dream target, Nate Ament, would commit to the Tennessee Volunteers. The Cardinals were once favorites to land this massive recruit, as he is ranked as high as the No. 3 prospect in the class of 2025.
The 6-foot-9 wing out of Virginia was expected to commit to Tennessee after Travis Brahnham made his Crystal Ball prediction a few days before his commitment. While it is sad that the Cardinals didn't land the 5-star recruit, fans are just happy it is over. Now, they can move on and focus on the elite roster they have as of today.
This Louisville basketball team has tremendous upside entering the 2025-26 season, with or without Ament. Yes, it would have been great to see him in a red and black uniform, but now that he has officially committed elsewhere, Louisville fans can dive deep into just how good this new Pat Kelsey squad really is.
Louisville basketball's stacked roster screams National Title run
This Cardinals roster is set to be one of the best in the nation next year. According to 247Sports, Louisville has had the third-best transfer portal additions, and they are also bringing in two top-25 recruits, including 5-star Mikel Brown Jr.
Louisville's starting lineup will also have some length, with elite scorers and playmakers. The Cardinals would have loved to have Ament to start at power forward, but now that Ament committed to the Volunteers and the portal is closing tomorrow, it seems reasonable to think that Kasean Pryor is here to stay. The roster is not yet finalized, as Louisville still has one scholarship spot open and is awaiting confirmation on whether Pryor will return. Still, the Cardinals' dream scenario is to bring Pryor back and then land one of the players they are rumored to be interested in, Jamir Watkins and Chad Baker-Mazara.
Louisville landed the three best combo guards in the transfer portal. The Cardinals' biggest offseason acquisition was Adrian Wooley, a 5-star transfer who is ranked as high as the No. 10 player to enter the portal and the No. 1 combo guard. Behind Wooley are two 4-star transfers: Isaac McKneely, who was ranked as high as the No. 17 player in the portal and the No. 2 combo guard, and Ryan Conwell, who comes in as the No. 3 combo guard and No. 18 overall player in the transfer portal.
Related: Louisville basketball's projected starting lineup for the 2025-26 season
This backcourt has the potential to be the best backcourt in the nation, as all four players shot above 40 percent from the 3-point line last season. Louisville also landed a massive commitment from Sananda Fru, the transfer from Germany. Fru is expected to be the Cardinals' starting center next year at 6-foot-11. He has the skills to be a dominant forward next season as he comes in ranked as the No. 25 recruit in the class of 2025, according to SLAM.
The Cardinals will also see key players returning in J'Vonne Hadley, Kobe Rodgers, James Scott, Khani Rooths, and Aly Khalifa. Louisville appears to have an elite roster with tremendous depth. This roster will contend for a National Championship and has all the skills, tools, and depth to be a legitimate national championship favorite.
The Cardinals open up with the fourth-best odds at +1600 to win the 2026 National Championship, according to FanDuel. It would have been nice to see Ament play with the Cardinals' 5-star commits and multiple 4-stars. However, it is clear that even though Ament picked Tennessee, the Louisville Cardinals are still destined for a National Championship run.
Louisville will look to end its 12-year championship drought and earn its third National Championship in program history.