Louisville Makes Top Ten for Elite '26 Point Guard

The Cardinals are pursuing most of the top prospects in the 2026 cycle.

Blairstown (N.J.) Blair Academy point guard Deron Rippey Jr. | University of Louisville Athletics

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Head coach Pat Kelsey and the Louisville men's basketball program are continuing to pursue some of the top prospects in the Class of 2026, and those efforts are starting to pan out with one of the best ball handers in the cycle.

Blairstown (N.J.) Blair Academy point guard Deron Rippey Jr. announced Thursday that he has trimmed his list of top schools from 12 to 10, and the Cardinals are still in the running.

Of Rippey's over 40 held scholarship offers, Alabama, Duke, Kentucky, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Syracuse, Tennessee and Texas are also in the running for his commitment. Rippey is "no longer considering" Indiana and Kansas.

While it will be tough to win this recruitment, Louisville has positioned themselves well with Rippey. He was one of the first juniors to be contacted by Kelsey on the first day of last summer's contact period, and was also offered that day. He later took an official visit to UofL for their game vs. Tennessee on Nov. 12.

The 6-foot-2, 175-pound guard is one of the top point guards and prospects overall in the Class of 2026. A five-star prospect, Rippey is regarded as the top-ranked point guard and the No. 11 overall recruit by the 247Sports Composite

Louisville has yet to land a prospect in the Class of 2026, but they are deep in the mix with several prospects. On top of extending scholarship offers to 13 top-25 prospects by the 247Sports Composite, a decent chunk of them have taken visits to the Cardinals, or plan to in the future.

Sherman Oaks (Calif.) Notre Dame wing Tyran Stokes and Fairfax (Va.) Paul VI Catholic guard Jordan Smith Jr. both took official visits last October, Atlanta (Ga.) Overtime Elite guard Taylen Kinney took one this past June, while both Marietta (Ga.) Wheeler forward Colben Landrew and Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy forward Cole Cloer visited this past weekend.

Pasadena (Calif.) HS center Josh Irving has an OV set for Sept. 19, Hurricane (UT) Utah Prep small forward Anthony Felesi will be on campus on Oct. 25, while Miami (Fla) Columbus forward Jaxon Richardson will take his OV to the Cardinals on Nov. 8.

(Photo of Deron Rippey via University of Louisville Athletics)

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