Pat Kelsey and Louisville basketball must swipe former 5-star from ACC rival

The transfer portal is starting to heat up. Elite talent from all over the country is beginning to enter their name into the portal, and Pat Kelsey and his Cardinals are expected to be in the mix with many of these top prospects.

The Cardinals have already contacted multiple players, such as Josh Dix, Nick Davidson, and more. Kelsey is clearly trying to improve his roster's shooting from beyond the arc and depth. Louisville will continue to be a top landing spot as more names enter the portal, and a familiar name that Louisville recruited back in 2023 just became available.

Kelsey must find a way to swipe this former 5-star recruit from an ACC rival and continue to improve the roster's guard position.

Pat Kelsey and Louisville basketball must swipe former 5-star from ACC rival

On3 announced last night that the North Carolina star point guard officially hit the transfer portal. Elliot Cadeau started in 68 games in his first two seasons for the Tar Heels.

The North Carolina transfer is a former unanimous 5-star phenom from the class of 2023. All recruiting platforms ranked the now sophomore guard as the nation's No. 2 point guard in his class. He was ranked as high as No. 12 in the nation by 247Sports and was unanimously the No. 2 player out of Missouri.

Cadeau's potential is enormous, as he was highly recruited by the Cardinals back in 2023. Louisville was one of the few teams considered by the former 5-star before he picked the Tar Heels. The Cardinals made their offer to Cadeau in July of 2022 and were one of the more loyal programs to the Missouri native. Cadeau visited Louisville in 2023, right before officially committing to the Tar Heels.

Although his college career has started slowly, Kelsey has shown that he can develop elite players into some of the best in the nation. The former Tar Heels guard averaged 9.4 points, 6.2 assists, and 1.1 steals in the 2024-25 season. The 5-star prospect is talented on both ends of the floor and took off this past season once he was given more opportunities.

Cadeau earned six games with three steals or more in a single game, including his season-high of four steals in two games. On the other side of the floor, he secured a season-high 18 points against American and finished a few games with 17 points. The former 5-star prospect is an elite facilitator. His season high was 13 assists, and he added three games with 12 assists. He also secured two double-doubles last season.

The 6-foot-1 guard out of New Jersey improved his 3-point shot last season as he splashed 29 threes on 34 percent. The Cardinals will need a guard to replace Chucky Hepburn's production from last year, and Cadeau might be the perfect fit.

The two guards have many skills in common, but Cadeau's potential is even higher than Hepburn's. The ability to guard on one end, distribute the ball, and score when needed is a rare talent that Kelsey will have to try to swipe from North Carolina.