Louisville basketball just made a last-second move for this upcoming season, as Pat Kelsey wasn’t done building his roster just yet. The Cardinals have had a crazy busy offseason, adding 11 players for this upcoming season, including eight from the Transfer Portal and three from the 2026 recruiting class.
Last season, Louisville showed many flaws in its frontcourt, and Kelsey spent much of this offseason trying to fix those weaknesses from the 2025-26 season. Despite the season being under two months away, Kelsey decided to make another move, as On3 Sports' Joe Tipton reported that Louisville just added Northern Kentucky transfer LJ Wells.
NEWS: Northern Kentucky transfer forward LJ Wells has committed to Louisville, source told @On3. ⁰⁰The 6-8 senior averaged 15.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game last season. https://t.co/zVALvYp5tF pic.twitter.com/stFcz6PHoQ
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) September 11, 2026
Louisville basketball adds forward LJ Wells
The Cardinals have now added eight players from the Transfer Portal, including UNC transfer Seth Trimble, who is still fighting for eligibility. Wells brings four years of collegiate experience to the Cardinals, as the Norse transfer spent all four seasons at Northern Kentucky, where he averaged 8.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game.
He is coming to Louisville following his best season in college basketball, averaging career-highs of 15.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.9 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game. He also shot the best from the field last season with North Kentucky at an impressive 55.4 percent.
On top of his career season, he was named to the Horizon League All-Tournament Team after averaging 22.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. The 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward scored 20 points or more in six games this past season, including a dominant 35-point performance where he shot 11-of-15 from the field against Detroit Mercy.
The Cardinals have now added five forwards this offseason, including two 5-stars in Flory Bidunga and Obinna Ekezie Jr. This Cardinals frontcourt will look much different; rather than a weakness, it should be a glaring strength.
Louisville will have a lot of size and physicality in its frontcourt, and adding Wells adds even more depth at forward.
This Cardinals team is going to look much different this upcoming season, and Kelsey has built one of the most expensive rosters in the country. Now, he must give Cardinals fans what they are starving for: a Final Four run and a National Title.
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