Pat Kelsey is trying to rebuild the Louisville basketball team. He knows that it won't be an overnight endeavor. He has to get top recruits to buy into what he's trying to build. It takes time to build that trust with recruits and makes sure that they believe what he's selling them.
Things seem to be going well early when it comes to recruiting the 2025 class. Now, Kelsey is trying to land a big fish in the 2026 class. Tyran Stokes is the top-ranked recruit in the country for that class. The five-star power forward from California is coveted by programs all across the country.
Stokes will visit the weekend of October 3rd. The Cardinals have an inside track on him because Stokes is originally from Louisville. It's a big appeal for him to come home and play for his hometown team. The Louisville Cardinals get a chance to impress him on a visit.
Top recruit will visit the Louisville basketball program
Louisville will have major competition from all of the top programs in the country. Kansas, North Carolina, Texas, Auburn, and more have all offered scholarships to Stokes. The Cardinals will have to fend off all of those programs and more if they want to land him.
This visit in October could go a long way to developing a relationship that could lead to him committing. I'm sure the discussion of NIL will be had on that visit as well. Louisville has a top-ten NIL program, so that gives them some hope that he might not be priced out of their range.
Stokes does everything that Louisville could want from a prospect. He's athletic, strong, and very skilled. He can play above the rim but also knock down jump shots. Stokes is the total package and would be someone that this program could build around.
Once Kelsey lands one of these top prospects, things will get a lot easier for this program. He's going to land one, it's just a matter of when.