Louisville basketball recently landed 5-star center Obinna Ekezie Jr. The Cardinals' newest commitment was ranked as one of the top recruits in the 2027 cycle, but the 5-star reclassified to the 2026 recruiting class, making him now a key piece for this upcoming season.
Obinna Ekezie Jr. makes his Louisville commitment better with season-changing news
The 5-star was ranked No. 2 in the 2027 class and No. 1 among centers, but now, just moments ago, Louisville fans got the news they wanted as Ekezie ranks inside the top 15 and is ranked as the top center in the 2026 recruiting class.
Louisville has the number 1 center in class of 2026 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/7B2JMFlsMC
— LouisvilleBasketballRecruitingReport (@247SportsLouMBB) May 4, 2026
Louisville basketball's newest commit gets ranking the fans were hoping for
Ekezie is a dominant recruit no matter what class he is in, as the 17-year-old 5-star recruit is now ranked as high as No. 14 in the 2026 recruiting class, and No. 1 among centers. Louisville and Pat Kelsey are having a masterclass with who they are bringing in, as Kelsey has now landed the No. 1 center in the Transfer Portal in Flory Bidunga and the No. 1 center in the 2026 recruiting class in Ekezie.
Louisville’s biggest weakness this past season was its frontcourt, and the dream is big for Kelsey. He got two elite centers who can both dominate the paint as massive rim protectors. On the offensive side, Bidunga is a major lob threat, while Ekezie can space the floor out and shoot a little bit at 7-feet tall.
The Cardinals' newest commitment made it clear that he believes this Louisville team has a legitimate chance at winning the National Title, and he is excited about playing some minutes at the power forward position and next to Bidunga.
Ekezie averaged 17.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game in 31 games and shot 60 percent from the field. Seeing the newest commitment rank as a unanimous 5-star, inside the top 15 overall, and as the No. 1 center in the class was the exact update the Louisville fans were hoping to see with Ekezie.
Related: Louisville's new 5-star commit has an awesome plan in place with Flory Bidunga
For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.
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