Players Who Won't Be on Louisville's Roster For 2026-27 Season

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - On Saturday, the Louisville men's basketball program's 2025-26 season officially came to an end. Drawing Michigan State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the Cardinals (24-11, 11-7 ACC) gave the Spartans their best shot, but ultimately suffered a 77-69 defeat at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y.

With Louisville's season now in the books, inevitably, there are a handful of players who have played their final games for the Cards. But who exactly should fans expect not to return for the 2026-27 season?

Below are the all the players who have exhausted their collegiate eligibility, as well as a couple players who are prime candidates to depart the program this offseason:

Exhausted Eligibility

Ryan Conwell

If there was an MVP award for Louisville's season, Conwell would most certainly be the winner. Starting all but one game, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound guard finished the 2025-26 season as the Cardinals' leading scorer at 18.8 points per game (despite having the lowest field goal percentage on the team at 40.8), while also averaging 4.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.1 steals. He took home Second-Team All-ACC honors for his efforts.

The transfer from Xavier played some of his best hoops in the postseason. Across two ACC Tournament games and two NCAA Tournament games, Conwell put up 19.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.3 steals per game

J'Vonne Hadley

Despite a disappointing showing against Michigan State, Hadley was one of Louisville's most consistent players during his two years as a Cardinal. This season, the 6-foot-7, 210-pound guard/forward was UofL's third-leading scorer (11.5 PPG), second-leading rebounder (5.1 RPG), and team leader in three-point percentage (44.0). He also averaged 1.8 assist and 1.0 steals per game, while shooting 56.2 percent from the floor.

The Colorado transfer played a critical role Kelsey's success in year one. He was the only player to start all 35 games, averaged 12.2 points per game, and also led the team in rebounding at 7.3 boards and three-point shooting percentage at 38.1. Hadley also shot 51.8 percent from the field and averaged 1.8 assists per game.

Aly Khalifa

While Khalifa was a strictly bench piece during his time at Louisville, there's no denying that he was one of the top playmaking big men in college basketball. The 7-foot-0, 250-pound center played in all 35 games, and averaged the third-most assists in the team at 2.5. He also put up 3.3 points and 1.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 43.8 percent from the floor and 40.9 percent on threes.

Khalifa joined as transfer from BYU last offseason, but had to redshirt the 2024-25 season to rehab a knee injury. During his rehab process this past year, he lost nearly 50 pounds after weighing as much as 299 during his official visit in April of 2024.

Isaac McKneely

McKneely might have had some ups and downs over the course of the 2025-26 season, but he was still a valuable asset due to his sharpshooting. As the only player to start all 35 games, the 6-foot-4, 195-pound guard averaged the fourth-most points on the team at 10.9, while also shooting 39.5 percent on threes and 41.6 percent from the floor. He also put up 3.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.

After having a disappointing showing in the ACC Tournament, McKneely showed out in the NCAA Tournament. The Virginia transfer averaged 16.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists over the Cardinals' two games in the Big Dance, including shooting a blazing 58.8 percent on threes.

Kobe Rodgers

In his lone on-court season at Louisville, Rodgers primarily served as a rotational guard - although his role did increase when Mikel Brown Jr. was injured. Playing all but one game and making one start, the 6-foot-3, 185-pound guard averaged 3.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game

Rodgers spent the last three years of his collegiate career playing under Kelsey, suiting up for him in his last season at Charleston before transferring to Louisville. However, he had to spend the 2024-25 season on the sideline after tearing his ACL in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

Likely Offseason Departures

Mikel Brown Jr.

Even though Brown had to miss 14 games due to a lingering lower back injury, when on the floor, he proved himself to be one of the best players in the sport. In 21 games and 19 starts, the 6-foot-5, 190-pound guard averaged 18.2 points, a team-best 4.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds and team-best 1.2 steals per game. This including tying the program's single-game scoring record with a 45-point outing vs. NC State.

Because of this incredibly high upside, it's almost a foregone conclusion that Brown will depart for the 2026 NBA Draft. Not only is the Third-Team All-ACC selection a consensus lottery pick, he's a consensus top-10 pick amongst mock drafts. It would be stunning if Brown were to return to college for his sophomore season.

Kasean Pryor

Pryor joined the program last offseason as a transfer from South Florida, and was expected to be one of the top contributors on the team. However, he wound up missing most of the 2024-25 season, suffering a season-ending ACL tear in the Battle 4 Atlantis title game vs. Oklahoma. The 6-foot-10, 230-pound forward then took advantage of the Diego Pavia ruling to return for this season/

However, it was clear that Pryor was not the same player as he was pre-injury. He was slowly phased out of the rotation, only playing 17 total minutes since Feb. 17, and he finished the season with 2.2 points and 1.8 rebounds averaged in 23 bench appearances. He has the option to take a medical redshirt and play next season, but it's unlikely it will be at UofL - especially considering he went through Senior Day festivities.