Louisville is back in the hunt for another elite big man, and this time the target is Lewis Uvwo, the 5-star center rising through the 2027 class.
Pat Kelsey’s program has already made real noise in this recruiting cycle with the addition of 4-star Ferlandes Wright. That comes on top of what Louisville has built in the last two recruiting classes, including back-to-back 5-star commitments in Mikel Brown Jr. and Obinna Ekezie Jr. Ekezie was once the No. 1 center in the 2027 class before reclassifying, and now the Cardinals are trying to stay in the middle of the conversation for the next premier rim protector.
Earlier this week, Louisville was reported to be among the programs joining the race for Uvwo. On3 Sports’ Jamie Shaw says the Cardinals are one of the newer teams pushing hard for the 5-star center, alongside Duke, Kentucky, Arkansas, Kansas, and Texas, all of whom are trying to get in the mix with Uvwo.
That competition is already crowded. Uvwo has offers from 30 schools, with Alabama, BYU, Florida, Illinois, Houston, Michigan, and others also in the picture. But Louisville’s pitch is easy to understand: Kelsey has already shown he’s willing to build around dominant athletic centers, and the Cardinals have recently added both Ekezie and 5-star transfer Flory Bidunga, the No. 1 overall player in the Transfer Portal.
Uvwo’s stock has taken off in a hurry. He’s ranked as high as No. 7 overall in the 2027 class and sits at No. 1 among centers. The 6-foot-10, 225-pound big man just turned heads at Peach Jam, where he averaged 6.0 blocks per game and showed off the kind of rim protection that changes games.
He also earned Defensive Player of the Year honors on this summer’s Nike EYBL Circuit after averaging 4.5 blocks per game. That defensive edge is a big reason his profile has jumped from just inside the top 50 to the top 10.
Right now, Duke, Miami, and BYU are being described as the strongest early pushers for Uvwo. Still, Louisville is firmly in the mix, and if Bidunga or Ekezie move on after this upcoming season, Uvwo would fit neatly into the role of the next anchor in the middle.
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