Pat Kelsey’s roster work for Louisville’s 2026-27 season just picked up another major piece.
Former Northern Kentucky forward LJ Wells committed to the Cardinals on Friday, Sept. 11, giving Louisville another frontcourt option less than two months before the college basketball season tips off. Wells announced the move with a post to Instagram in collaboration with On3’s Joe Tipton.
Wells, a 6-foot-8 forward from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, spent the last four seasons at NKU and brings a proven production profile with him. As a senior in 2025-26, he averaged 15 points on 55.4% shooting, including 28.3% from 3-point range, along with 7.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.3 steals in 30.3 minutes per game.
In March, he was named to the Horizon League All-Tournament team after putting up 22.3 points on 61.5% shooting, 8.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, a steal and a block per game while helping the Norse reach the semifinal round as a No. 7 seed. Northern Kentucky finished 20-14.
Over his college career, Wells has appeared in 116 games with 77 starts. He has averaged 9.1 points on 50.3% shooting, 5.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 23.2 minutes per game.
The move also ties into a legal fight in Jefferson County. Wells is the “Wells” in Wells v.
NCAA, a lawsuit that has produced a temporary restraining order granting a fifth year of eligibility to more than two dozen Class of 2022 athletes. The case challenges a new NCAA age-based eligibility model adopted in June, which allows athletes up to five years of collegiate competition if they enroll no later than the academic year after their 19th birthday.
On Sept. 4, the Kentucky Court of Appeals denied the NCAA’s request to stay the temporary restraining order and sent the matter to a three-judge panel.
For Louisville, Wells adds to an already loaded front line. The Cardinals’ frontcourt includes former Kansas forward Flory Bidunga, the reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, and 7-2 freshman Obinna Ekezie Jr., the top Class of 2026 center on the 247Sports Composite. According to CBBAnalytics.com, Wells ranked in the 96th percentile in points in the paint per game at 9.4 and in the 98th percentile in second-chance points per game at 3.5 as a senior.
He becomes the 11th newcomer on Louisville’s 2026-27 roster and the eighth to arrive from another Division I program. Before his commitment, 247Sports had Kelsey’s incoming class ranked fifth in the country.
Junior guard Adrian Wooley is the only scholarship returner who played for Louisville in 2025-26.
In the original Wells v. NCAA complaint filed Aug. 12 in Jefferson County Circuit Court, attorneys for the plaintiffs said Charlotte, Notre Dame and USC joined Louisville in recruiting Wells for the upcoming season.
Kelsey addressed the broader wave of Class of 2022 players entering the market during an Aug. 3 interview with 247Sports’ Kyle Tucker.
"You always want to stay vigilant and stay ahead of it, and make sure you're doing everything you can to put your program in the best position possible - to have the best team you can possibly have," he said. "But I love our team."
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