Top-50 '26 C Josh Irving Names Louisville to Final Three

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville men's basketball program is closing in on one of the top big men in the Class of 2026.

Pasadena (Calif.) HS center Josh Irving, a top-50 prospect in the cycle, announced the three finalists in his recruitment on Wednesday, with the Cardinals still in the running.

In-state rival Kentucky also made the cut, as well as Texas A&M. Irving also holds offers from Kansas, USC, TCU, Washington and others. He has taken official visits to all three of his finalists, including taking an official visit to UofL last month.

Louisville only extended a scholarship offer to Irving back in June, but have kept tabs on him for nearly a year. Cardinals assistant and lead recruiter Ronnie Hamilton attended an in-person workout, and also watched him at a couple offseason events. This includes the Puma PRO16/NXTPRO 17U back in July, where he helped Clint Parks Skills Academy win the event.

The 6-foot-10, 200-pound big man is regarded as a four-star prospect by all three major recruiting services, and ranks as high as the No. 6 center and No. 40 overall prospect in the nation, per Rivals. The 247Sports Composite ranks him as the No. 4 center and No. 51 recruit in the 2026 cycle.

Louisville has yet to land a prospect in the Class of 2026, and are in desperate need of a change in fortunes in the cycle. Five-star point guard Tay Kinney, one of Louisville's top targets in the entire 2026 cycle, announced his commitment to Kansas, four-star forward Colben Landrew committed to UConn, and four-star forward Anthony Felesi cancelled his upcoming official visit to UofL.

That being said, the Cardinals have positioned themselves well with a few other blue chip prospects in the 2026 cycle. Atlanta (Ga.) Overtime Elite wing Gabe Nesmith will be on campus for the Kansas exhibition Oct. 24, while Miami (Fla) Columbus forward Jaxon Richardson will take his OV to the Cardinals on Nov. 8.

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