From the transfer portal to high schools, the Louisville Cardinals and head coach Pat Kelsey have been on an absolute recruiting hot streak.
Kelsey just landed the No. 1 transfer portal class in the nation and is nowhere near taking his foot off the gas.
Most recently, he landed yet another blue-chip prospect for the Cardinals, receiving a commitment from five-star center Obinna Ekezie Jr., who is the No. 2 overall player in the class of 2027.
And, beyond the fact that he'll be suiting up for Louisville next season, Ekezie's commitment was made even better by the fact that he chose the Cardinals over a handful of other programs, including none other than the Kentucky Wildcats, Louisville's in-state rival.
Obinna Ekezie Jr.'s commitment to Louisville comes with cherry on top
Beyond that, Ekezie also announced that he would reclassify to the class of 2026, moving up his arrival on the team by a year and further bolsters Kelsey's upcoming group of new players.
NEWS: 5⭐️ Obinna Ekezie Jr. has committed to Louisville and will reclassify to 2026 to play for the Cardinals this upcoming season, he tells @Rivals.
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) May 3, 2026
The 7-foot center was the No. 2 overall player in the 2027 class and the No. 1-ranked center.https://t.co/xMXmPrx0uA pic.twitter.com/yippK8TtdM
Now headlined by Ekezie as the lone commitment, Louisville's class of 2026 ranks 70th in the nation, which is a far cry from the likes of a No. 1 nationally-ranked transfer portal class, but stands atop Kentucky once again.
The Wildcats' class of 2026 ranks 91st in the country, 21 spots farther down the totem pole than the Cardinals.
Kelsey's class of 2025 ranked 25th in the country and brought stars like Mikel Brown Jr. and Sananda Fru to town. Clearly, based on ranking alone, the transfer portal group joining the Cardinals could lead Louisville to the NCAA Tournament run it has been waiting for.
Also read: Pat Kelsey is hitting the ground running in his pursuit of a 2027 5-star PG
Five-star center Flory Bidunga from Kansas, four-star point guard Jackson Shelstad from Oregon, four-star small forward Karter Knox from Arkansas, four-star power forward Alvaro Folgueiras from Iowa, four-star shooting guard De'Shayne Montgomery from Dayton, and three-star center Gabe Dynes from USC make up Kelsey's incoming group of transfer players.
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