Five-Star Center Obinna Ekezie Jr. Expected to Visit Louisville

Ekezie is the top-ranked center in the 2027 cycle by multiple outlets.

Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Prolific Prep center Obinna Ekezie Jr. | via Instagram

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville men's basketball program might be busy recruiting the transfer portal right now, but efforts on the high recruiting front are still ongoing, and they're expected to host a massive - literally and figuratively - prospect on campus soon.

Orlando (Fla.) Southeastern Prep center Obinna Ekezie Jr., a five-star prospect in the Class of 2027, is expected to visit UofL's campus on Thursday (today), as first reported by On3's Joe Tipton and confirmed by Louisville Cardinals On SI.

Ekezie is coming off of a visit to Arkansas this past weekend, and is expected to visit this Michigan later this weekend. He also holds offers from Alabama, BYU, Houston, Kentucky, UCLA and others, and is a candidate to reclassify to the Class of 2026 - an avenue he is potentially exploring with Louisville.

The 7-foot-0, 220-pound big man is regarded as the top-ranked center in the cycle by both On3/Rivals and ESPN. He's the No. 4 prospect in the Class of 2026 according to the 247Sports Composite, behind only C.J. Rosser, Marcus Spears Jr. and Paul Osaruyi.

With a Composite rating of 0.9986, if Ekezie were to commit to Louisville, he would be the highest-ranked prospect in the modern recruiting era to give his verbal pledge to the Cardinals - surpassing Samardo Samuels' 0.9985 rating in the Class of 2008.

This past season for Southeastern Prep, Ekezie put together a very good junior campaign. In 31 games, he averaged 17.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per games, while shooting 60.2 percent from the field. He helped the Falcons go 41-9 overall, resulting in them finishing with a No. 6 national ranking.

Ekezie transferred to Southeastern Prep last offseason after spending his sophomore year at Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Prolific Prep. That year, he averaged around 10 points, seven rebounds, three blocks and two assists per game, getting named a Third-Team MaxPreps Sophomore All-American.

Head coach Pat Kelsey has not been shy with targeting top talent in the 2027 cycle. Including Ekezie, Louisville has offered eight five-star prospects in the class, as well as 15 overall.

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(Photo of Obinna Ekezie Jr. via Instagram)