Louisville took a hit in the 2027 recruiting race when five-star combo guard King Gibson picked LSU over the Cardinals and two other finalists, but the miss also made one thing plain: Pat Kelsey’s next big swing is already lined up.
Gibson, who trimmed his list from more than 35 offers to 10 schools and then to four last week - LSU, Louisville, Arkansas, and Providence - was one of the biggest names on Louisville’s board. He had been rated as high as No. 13 overall, No. 2 among combo guards, and No. 2 among North Carolina natives.
Even so, the Cardinals’ attention appears to be centered on a different elite guard.
That player is five-star point guard Reese Alston, who has emerged as Louisville’s clear top target in the class. Among the Cardinals’ 2027 options, Alston stands apart. He’s a top-10 national recruit, and Louisville has acted like a program that knows exactly who it wants.
Alston already took an official visit to Louisville earlier this year, and Kelsey kept pressing over the summer by visiting him and watching him at multiple recruiting camps. That push helped Louisville stay firmly in the mix as Alston narrowed his recruitment to seven schools: Louisville, Kentucky, LSU, Tennessee, Wichita State, Houston, and Vanderbilt.
The Cardinals have already gotten multiple chances to make their case. Alston has visited LSU, Wichita State, Kentucky, and Tennessee as well, and Kelsey also saw him at LSU shortly after the Tigers’ own visit.
Right now, Louisville is viewed as the favorite. On3 Sports’ Jamie Shaw continues to project the Cardinals will land Alston, and Fox insider Aaron Torres has called Louisville the “team to beat.”
“I think Louisville is going to get this guy eventually; I really do,” stated Torres. “Pat Kelsey opened the recruiting period visiting five-star guard Reese Alston - just like they opened the summer seeing him."
Alston, who ranks as high as No. 9 overall and No. 3 among point guards, is coming off a huge junior season. He averaged 22.2 points, 5.3 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.7 steals per game, earning a spot on the MaxPreps Junior All-American First Team.
For Louisville, the Gibson decision was a miss. But the bigger story may be that Kelsey’s staff has already moved on to a guard it clearly believes can anchor the class. Alston is the name to watch.
In Other News...
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The defense was the more alarming problem, with coverage breakdowns creating too many easy openings for big gains and leaving the secondary exposed for much of the day. Louisville did flash some pass-rush pressure and had chances to get off the field, but third-down struggles and the blown assignments in the back end kept undercutting any momentum the Cardinals tried to build. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Faces A Chance To Make An ACC Statement At Louisville
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What makes this one especially interesting is the contrast in styles and the way Florida State has been able to stress defenses with its quarterback run game and money-down execution. Louisville will need to be sharper than it has been in recent conference tests, because the Seminoles have shown they can keep drives alive and make opponents pay when the game tightens late. [Read more 🡒]