Louisville basketball hired Pat Kelsey back in March, 2024 in hopes of bringing this program back to the top. The Cardinals won a combined 12 games in the previous two seasons, including a four-win year in the 2022-23 season.
Obinna Ekezie Jr. gives incredible Louisville quote after Pat Kelsey reeled him in
Kelsey made an immediate impact, breaking multiple records in his first year and taking the Cards back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019. Louisville was once ranked as high as No. 6 in the nation this past season, and while the year didn't end the way many had hoped, Kelsey has done a phenomenal job over the first couple of years and goes off the floor as well.
Louisville wasn’t known as a top landing spot in college basketball, but in his first three seasons, he has quickly made Cards history in recruiting.
Pat Kelsey’s recruiting run is rewriting program history
The Cards have landed four 5-stars since Kelsey became the head coach, including two out of high school. Kelsey quickly etched his name into the program record books with his ability to recruit, landing the second- and third-highest-rated commitments in Mikel Brown Jr. and Obinna Ekezie Jr.
Pat Kelsey heads into Year 3 at Louisville having already landed two of the three highest-rated high school commitments in program history (per 247Sports).
— UofLStan (@UofLStan) June 4, 2026
#2 Mikel Brown Jr. (2025)
#3 Obinna Ekezie Jr. (2026)#GoCards #L1C4 pic.twitter.com/K6NSOZ1cgR
Brown was the first of the two to commit, obviously, as the 2025 recruit was a unanimous 5-star and ranked as high as No. 6 overall and the No. 1 point guard in the 2025 recruiting class. Kelsey Brown really elevated this program’s recruiting ability as the 5-star was the first major commitment in the Kelsey era.
Following Brown’s commitment, Kelsey landed three top-25 transfers in the portal, including his second 5-star, Adrian Wooley, this time from the Transfer Portal. Brown was rated .9969 by 247Sports, which made him the second highest rated commitment in program history, only behind Samardo Samuels.
Following Brown, Kelsey landed 2027 recruit Obinna Ekezie Jr., who was a unanimous 5-star recruit in the 2027 recruiting class. The 7-foot center made Louisville history when he first committed, ranking No. 2 overall in the 2027 cycle and posting a rating of 0.9986, which made him the highest-rated commitment in program history.
Ekezie was reclassified to the 2026 recruiting class, which dropped his ranking to No. 14 overall in the 2026 cycle, but he remained a 5-star recruit in the 2026 class with a rating of 0.9955, putting him right behind Brown as the Cardinals' third-highest-rated commitment in program history.
Kelsey has completely flipped this program and has etched his name into Louisville’s record books in many categories already, but his ability to recruit and land big-time players from the Transfer Portal or out of high school is something that continues to impress Louisville fans. This upcoming season is going to be a fun year to be a Louisville fan, and Kelsey deserves his flowers for his recruiting.
Also read: Obinna Ekezie Jr. has made Louisville history immediately after committing to Pat Kelsey
For all the latest news and updates on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.
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