Louisville basketball officially struck out on one of the top recruits in the 2025 cycle as 5-star phenom Jason Crowe Jr. committed to the Missouri Tigers. Crowe is ranked as high as No. 4 in the nation and the best point guard in ESPN's rankings.
He is a consensus 5-star prospect across all platforms, and he is also ranked as a shooting guard in On3 Sports' eyes and a combo guard in 247 Sports' eyes. He comes in ranked as the No. 3 shooting guard per On3 Sports and is the No. 3 combo guard per 247Sports in the 2026 cycle.
Five-star guard Jason Crowe Jr. is a Missouri commit š„
ā B/R Hoops (@brhoops) July 18, 2025
He is Mizzou's first five-star recruit since 2017. pic.twitter.com/EZpvuWfXi9
Louisville was one of 11 schools to extend an offer to Crowe, but it was made clear throughout his recruiting process that Louisville was an absolute long shot. The Cardinals were the second program to make an offer to Crowe, having extended their offer back in May 2023.
Related: 3 absolute long-shot 2026 5-star targets for Louisville Basketball
5-star guard commits to Missouri over Louisville basketball
Despite the Cardinals striking out on this consensus top-five recruit in the 2025 cycle, Louisville still has plenty of other options. The Cardinals' top targets are Tyran Stokes and Taylen Kinney.
Both 5-star targets are from Kentucky and are considered to be the best in their respective position. Stokes is regarded as the No. 1 overall player in the nation, and Kinney is ranked as high as No. 11 in the country and the best point guard.
Louisville has made multiple updates to its 2026 recruit lists. The Cardinals have made 5-star guardĀ Ikenna Alozie's top eight, 5-star guard Deron Rippey Jr.'s top 12, 5-star guard Jaxon Richardson's top 10, and 4-star forward Cole Cloer's top eight.
Related: 2 Dream, 2 reach, 2 realistic 2026 5-star targets Louisville basketball could land
For all the latest on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.