The Cardinals were one of the finalists for an elite 5-star guard, but Pat Kelsey and Louisville basketball didn’t get the update they were hoping for.
Louisville is hours away from learning if Pat Kelsey lands his first 5-star in 2027 class
Last night, 5-star guard King Gibson announced his decision, and after he cut his list down to just four schools- Louisville, Arkansas, LSU, and Providence- Gibson ultimately decided to commit to the LSU Tigers.
NEWS: 2027 5⭐ King Gibson has committed to LSU, sources tell @LeagueRDY.
— Sam Kayser (@KayserHoops) October 5, 2026
The 6-foot-5 guard ultimately chose LSU over Louisville and Arkansas among many others.
#13 in the @SCNext 100. https://t.co/k9SkNycNT2 pic.twitter.com/mKP8XDt1Qa
5-star guard King Gibson committs to LSU over Louisville
Gibson is a guard who Kelsey and the Cardinals have been making a strong push for recently, as Louisville hosted the 5-star guard after making his final 10. The final 10 consisted of UConn, Arkansas, LSU, Baylor, Syracuse, Providence, Illinois, Alabama, and Michigan.
Before he made his decision last night, Gibson also took official visits to UConn, Arkansas, and LSU. He earned over 35 offers during his recruiting process, including from some notable programs that didn’t make his updated recruiting list, such as Kentucky, North Carolina, Houston, and Indiana.
It is no secret that Kelsey loves to recruit the nation’s top guards, and Gibson is certainly one of them. The 5-star ranks No. 13 overall in the 2027 recruiting class, No. 2 among combo guards, and No. 2 from North Carolina.
The 6-foot-4 guard averaged 16.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 0.9 steals per game while shooting 45.3 percent from the field and 39.4 percent from downtown for Team United in the Nike EYBL Circuit. And before that, he averaged 5.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.4 steals per game in his junior season.
It certainly stings that Louisville didn’t get the 5-star guard, but with LSU landing him, it feels like that just opened the window for Louisville to gain even more momentum with 5-star point guard Reese Alston.
The Cardinals and Tigers are two of the top teams pursuing the No. 7 overall recruit, and with LSU landing a 5-star guard, it suggests Alston may be looking elsewhere. Louisville is currently the frontrunner in multiple analysts' eyes, and LSU landing Gibson should help the Cardinals out even more.
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