Everything seemed like it was going to fall into place for Louisville and Pat Kelsey in the recruiting efforts for one of the top transfers in the country. Yup, 2027 playmaker Obinna Ekezie Jr. is high on the Cardinals and Travis Branham even put in his pick for him to commit to Louisville soon.
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Not so fast. Why? Because Buzz Williams and Maryland have other ideas. In a new report from 247Sports' Jeff Ermann, he indeed has stated that Williams and the Terps have entered the mix in hopes of changing Ekezie's mind at the last minute. Does this change everything for Kelsey?
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— Jeff Ermann (@Jeff_Ermann) May 1, 2026
Maryland is working to steal Obinna Ekezie Jr. away from Louisville at the last second
Since the rest of the article is behind a paywall, we're going to respectively keep out the information that Ermann and Branham were able to gather from their sources. However, the fact that it has been confirmed that Ekezie to Louisville is far from a done deal is not good for Kelsey.
This offseason, the Cardinals head coach has been on fire recruiting wise, and Ekezie would be the cherry on top even if he is a 2027 prospect. Still, while it might seem like a surprise that the nation's No. 2 center for '27 is having a change of heart, don't forget that his dad played for Maryland.
We all know the pull there, as the youngster might be seriously looking at following in his old man's footsteps. This is something Kelsey and Co. had to be aware of when they first started recruiting him, but the interest from Ekezie is obviously quite high - if it wasn't, a Crystal Ball pick from Branham wouldn't have been posted in the first place.
So, what's next? For now, everyone will wait. There's no rush for Ekezie to make a final decision, as he indeed is only a high school junior, with a senior season still ahead of him. Still, with a bit of a 180 being recorded here, it's understandable for the Louisville faithful to think the worst might be on the way.
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