Report: Kentucky Out of Running for Louisville Transfer Target Great Osobor

The former forward/center for the Aggies was the Mountain West Player of the Year and an AP All-American honorable mention this past season.
Utah State Aggies forward Great Osobor (1)
Utah State Aggies forward Great Osobor (1) / Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The ball is now in the Louisville men's basketball program's proverbial court as it pertains to landing their current biggest transfer portal target.

Former Utah State forward/center Great Osobor is no longer considering Kentucky as a transfer destination, his agent told Forbes Sports' Adam Zagoria.

Osobor recently was on a visit to Kentucky and heavily consdiering the Wildcats, but with UK recently landing transfer big men Andrew Carr and Brandon Garrison on top of their addition of Amari Williams, playing time in the front court would be sparse.

Meanwhile, Louisville still has ample playing time available in the front court for next season. New Cardinals head coach Pat Kelsey have secured commitments from transfer big men James Scott and Aly Khalifa, but the latter is redshirting the 2024-25 season.

With his visit to UK now in the books, Osobor will now be taking a visit to Louisville starting today and lasting through this Friday. While he has visits to Texas Tech and Washington coming up afterwards, the Cardinals now appear to sit in the driver's seat as it pertains to setting a good impression on Osobor.

The 6-foot-8, 250-pound big man would be a massive pickup for Louisville should he commit to the Cardinals. Not only was he the 2024 Mountain West Player of the Year, he earned an AP All-American honorable mention for his spectacular 2023-24 campaign.

Starting all 35 games for Aggies, he averaged 17.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals per game, while also shooting 57.7 percent from the field.

Osobor was a key component behind Utah State's success this season. The Aggies went 28-7 for their most wins since the 2018-19 season, had their highest final ranking in the AP Poll (No. 22) since 2011, and made their first trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament since 2001 and just fifth overall.

The Bradford, England native spent the first two years of his college career at Montana State before joining head coach Danny Sprinkle at Utah State. During the 2022-23 season as a sophomore, he won Big Sky Sixth Man of the Year honors after averaging 10.1 points and 4.6 rebounds over 34 games and two starts. He put up 6.0 and 4.2 in 35 games and a start during his true freshman campaign with the Bobcats.

Not long after the end of Louisville's disastrous 2023-24 campaign, one which resulted in the firing of second-year head coach Kenny Payne, the Cardinals' roster began to flip. In fact, all 12 of Louisville's scholarship players have entered the portal, with only walk-on guard Aidan McCool in line to return.

Fortunately, new head coach Pat Kelsey is already starting to work the portal. So far, Kelsey has landed eight transfers since officially being named the new head coach on Mar. 28.

Scott and Reyne Smith are both following Kelsey from Charleston, while Khalifa, James Madison's Terrence Edwards Jr., Colorado's J'Vonne Hadley, Washington's Koren Johnson, Long Beach State's Aboubacar Traore and Wisconsin's Chucky Hepburn are also joining the fold.

(Photo of Great Osobor: Alex Martin - Journal and Courier / USA)

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Matthew McGavic

MATTHEW MCGAVIC

McGavic is a 2016 Sport Administration graduate of the University of Louisville, and a native of the Derby City. He has been covering the Cardinals in various capacities since 2017, with a brief stop in Atlanta, Ga. on the Georgia Tech beat. He is also a co-host of the 'From The Pink Seats' podcast on the State of Louisville network. Video gamer, bourbon drinker and dog lover. Find him on Twitter at @Matt_McGavic