Recently, Louisville basketball fans learned one of their top targets, Taylen Kinney, committed to the Kansas Jayhawks. Louisville fans were heartbroken as Kinney is a Kentucky native, and both the fans and the staff were heavily involved in his recruiting process. Now, they must move on.
Well, after Kelsey made the bold claim that Louisville is 'PGU,' it is hard to imagine he doesn't want to get an elite point guard from the 2026 class. And with Mikel Brown Jr. most likely being a one-and-done superstar and a future NBA lottery pick, the Cardinals will have to replace him. So, with Louisville striking out and the Cardinals wanting to be 'PGU', who is now towards the top of the Cardinals' priority list?
Well, that answer is quite simple, and 247Sports revealed Louisville might have a blessing in disguise by Kinney committing to Kansas.
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247Sports recent PG updates reveals who Louisville must target
Deron Rippey Jr. is a 5-star point guard whom Louisville heavily recruited this offseason. The Cardinals logged a visit from Rippey back for Louisville's whiteout game against Tennessee. After the Cardinals earned that gameday visit, they ensured consistency in their recruiting process and visited Rippey in April, following the conclusion of their season.
Then, all offseason, Louisville made sure to show up to Rippey's games and watch him ball out all summer. Well, as crushing as it is for the Cardinals to strike out on Kinney, Louisville fans now turn to Rippey and hopefully Kelsey, and this staff is making moves fast after his dominant summer run.
Rippey's rankings skyrocketed, and he now moved past Kinney in the 247Sports rankings, ranking No. 11 in the nation and becoming their new No. 1 point guard after his MVP performances at the Adidas Palmetto Road Championships and the Steph Curry camp. He also dominated at the NBPA Top 100 Camp, where he averaged 21.7 points, 4.3 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game.
The 6-foot-2 175 175-pound guard has had one of the best summers of any recruit, and now Kelsey has a massive opportunity in front of him to still get the nation's No. 1 point guard. It won't be an easy challenge, as Kentucky and Syracuse recently earned an official visit, and Duke has made it clear he is towards the top of their list.
However, according to On3 Sports' predictions, the Cardinals are given the third-best chances to land him. Louisville recently made his top 10 updated list and is in a recruiting battle with Duke, Syracuse, Kentucky, North Carolina, Miami, North Carolina State, Alabama, Tennessee, and Texas. However, Kelsey and the Cardinals have some ground to make up against the ACC and SEC giants, but if he wants to prove his 'PGU' claim, it is clear he must get Rippey.
Related: 2 Dream, 2 reach, 2 realistic targets for Louisville after Taylen Kinney's commitment
For all the latest on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.