Louisville is still in the chase for 5-star point guard Cayden Daughtry, but the latest update makes one thing clear: the Cardinals have some catching up to do.
Pat Kelsey’s staff has been in the mix with a handful of elite guards lately, and Daughtry is the newest name to watch closely. Louisville landed on his updated list of 14 schools, which is a good sign on its own after he racked up more than 33 offers. But when he revealed seven official visits, the Cardinals were nowhere to be found.
Daughtry’s visit schedule is already taking shape. He’ll go to Florida State from Aug.
28-30, Tennessee from Sept. 4-6, Iowa from Sept.
11-13, UConn from Sept. 19-21, Florida from Sept.
25-27, Miami from Oct. 16-18, and Arkansas from Oct. 30-Nov.
That leaves Louisville on the outside looking in for now, even after recent momentum with other 5-star guards. The Cardinals already earned an official visit from Reese Alston, and they’re set to host King Gibson next weekend on Sept.
- Now the focus shifts to trying to get Daughtry on campus before the list tightens again.
The 6-foot, 155-pound guard is ranked as high as No. 3 overall and No. 2 at his position. He just wrapped a huge Nike EYBL Peach Jam run that only raised the stakes around his recruitment.
In the five pool games, he set a new point record by topping Cam Thomas’s previous mark, piling up 258 points while averaging 34.8 points per game. He also added 49 assists, 34 rebounds, and 23 steals in those five contests.
Daughtry was named MVP after the event, finishing with averages of 32.3 points, 6.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.9 steals per game. He shot 56.3 percent from the field and 38.2 percent from 3-point range.
There’s still time for Louisville to change the picture, but missing the first wave of official visits is hardly the ideal start. The Cardinals are still in the conversation, and making his top 14 matters. Now they need to turn that into a visit and keep pressing for one of the best guards in the country.
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The timing matters because the jersey patch idea only became possible after NCAA approval opened the door for that kind of sponsorship. For Louisville, the arrangement is about more than signage or branding, it is another attempt to create additional revenue for the athletics department at a moment when schools are looking for new ways to keep up. The details of how much this will help remain to be seen, but the Cardinals have clearly decided this is a lane worth driving into. [Read more 🡒]
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Louisville's Backfield Could Carry The Offense If One Concern Holds Up
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Marquis Davis, Braxton Jennings and Lekhy Thompkins add the kind of depth that can help make that plan work, with each offering a different element to the rotation. The biggest question is not whether Louisville has talent in the backfield, but whether the Cardinals can keep the arrangement healthy and productive enough to let the ground game set the tone week after week. [Read more 🡒]
