Louisville '24 SF Target Carter Bryant Sets Commitment Date

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - With the Louisville men's basketball program firmly in the mix, one of the top prospects in the Class of 2024 will soon be off the board.

Newport Coast (Calif.) Sage Hill small forward Carter Bryant announced Tuesday that he has set his commitment date for Wednesday, Apr. 26. He will choose between his two finalists - Louisville and Arizona - at 8:00 p.m. EST on 247Sports' YouTube channel.

"What made them make the final cut was the pedigree of the staff," Bryant told 247Sports' Travis Branham. "I don't think what was produced by Louisville was their best work but I feel like going down the line in the near future they can be a powerhouse in the ACC and in the country. I feel like the coaching staff they have and the knowledge and the wisdom they have as players and coaches is ridiculous."

Early on, Bryant was established as one of Louisville's top targets in the cycle. Last summer, assistant coach Nolan Smith watched him at the Section Seven showcase in Phoenix, and all four coaches on staff got to see him at the NBPA Top 100 Camp in Orlando. Head coach Kenny Payne also conducted an in-person visit last September, and Bryant took an official visit to campus this past November.

There's a reason why Louisville has poured so much effort into recruiting Bryant. The 6-foot-8, 225-pound wing ranks as the top player in the state of California, the top small forward in the class and No. 4 prospect in the nation according to 247Sports' in-house rankings.

With a 247Sports Composite rating of 0.9950, Bryant would be Louisville's third-highest rated commitment in the modern recruiting era should he give them his verbal pledge. Only Samardo Samuels’ 0.9987 rating in the Class of 2008 and Sebastian Telfair's 0.9974 rating in the Class of 2004 are higher.

Despite a horrid 4-28 season in Payne's first year at the helm, Louisville has made tremendous strides on the recruiting trail since their season ended. On top of signing four-star wings Kaleb Glenn and Curtis Williams Jr. during last November's early signing period, they inked five-star center Dennis Evans, five-star reclass guard/forward Trentyn Flowers, Illinois transfer guard Skyy Clark and JUCO guard Koron Davis last week.

The Cardinals' five-man recruiting 2023 class, which is the first full cycle for Payne, ranks as the No. 5 class in the nation according to 247Sports. Despite having just one transfer commitment in Clark, their transfer class comes in at No. 26 in the nation also by 247Sports.

Louisville currently sports just one commitment in the 2024 cycle, coming in the form of Montclair (N.J.) Immaculate Conception point guard T.J. Robinson.

(Photo of Carter Bryant: Matt Szabo - Los Angeles Times)

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