Louisville’s 2027 recruiting chase took a hit Thursday when Reese Alston chose LSU, keeping Pat Kelsey from landing the Cardinals’ first 5-star in that class.
Alston, the Houston native and top-10 prospect, had trimmed his options to five schools before making his decision. Instead of ending up in Louisville, he committed to LSU, giving Will Wade his second 5-star guard and third top-25 recruit in the 2027 recruiting class.
On the football side, Louisville’s Week 9 ACC matchup with Stanford comes with a notable absence. The Cardinals are chasing a third straight win, but they’ll have to do it without one of their top offensive pieces. In the initial injury report, fans learned that Lawayne McCoy is out with an injury.
McCoy, a Florida State transfer and Lincoln Kienholz’s top receiver, was banged up in Louisville’s win over Syracuse a couple of weeks ago. The injury carried through the bye week, and now he’ll miss his first game of the season. In 2026, McCoy has 25 catches for 513 yards and four receiving touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Louisville basketball wrapped up its preseason with a 71-39 win over Mercyhurst, finishing 2-0 after also beating No. 17 Kansas on the road, 89-83.
There was plenty to like in the Mercyhurst win, including a 19-point, 9-rebound effort from 5-star transfer Flory Bidunga and another strong scoring night off the bench from Dayton transfer De'Shayne Montgomery. But the Cardinals also had a few rough edges show up. They turned it over 17 times and went just 2-of-13 from 3-point range, two issues that stood out in the lopsided victory.
In Other News...
Louisville May Be Losing Ground In A Massive 5-Star Battle
DeMarcus Henrys impending decision has become one of the biggest recruiting storylines on Louisvilles radar, and the Cardinals remain firmly in the mix for a player who could change the outlook of the 2027 class. The five-star small forward is set to announce his commitment on Oct. 30, 2026, with Pat Kelseys program among four finalists alongside Kentucky, Arkansas and North Carolina.
The challenge for Louisville is that the race appears to be tilting elsewhere as the decision date nears. Recent reports and predictions have pointed to North Carolina as the likely landing spot, a development fueled by a Crystal Ball projection and a recruiting push that has reportedly included Michael Jordan, leaving the Cardinals in the spot no staff wants this late in a battle of this size. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Has A Chance To Fix One Problem Against Stanford
Stanfords reboot under a new head coach and Andrew Luck as general manager has come with the expected growing pains, and one of the clearest signs has been a defense that has too often surrendered chunk plays. That gives Louisville a chance to clean up one of its own lingering issues, because the Cardinals offensive line has been uneven all season and needs a steadier showing if the offense is going to settle in and stay on schedule.
The other side of the matchup offers Louisville a separate test, though, with Stanfords Micah Ford coming in hot and needing to be accounted for on every snap. If Louisville can keep Ford from dictating the game and find a more reliable push up front against a defense that has not been getting many sacks or tackles for loss, it could be the kind of afternoon where one problem starts to look a lot more fixable. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Just Got A Clear Signal About This Teams Ceiling
University of Louisville got an encouraging reminder this week that its backcourt is starting to draw real national attention. Junior guards Tajianna Roberts and Imari Berry were both named to the Naismith Trophy Womens Player of the Year Watch List, with Roberts also landing on the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Watch List after leading the Cardinals in scoring last season.
For a Louisville team that opens Nov. 2 against Bellarmine at the KFC Yum! Center, the recognition offers a useful glimpse at where the programs ceiling may lie. If Roberts continues to anchor the offense and Berry takes another step, the Cardinals have the kind of guard tandem that can change the conversation around the team early in the season. [Read more 🡒]