Louisville completed one of the more dramatic turnarounds in recent men’s college basketball history last season, when the Cardinals went 27-8 — surpassing their win total from the previous three seasons combined — and made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019.
They may have even more in store for their second season under coach Pat Kelsey.
Since getting eliminated by Creighton in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, Louisville has been on a tear in the transfer portal, where it has landed several impact players to restock a roster that is losing all-ACC honorees Chucky Hepburn and Terrence Edwards Jr., among others.
In the past four days, Kelsey has secured commitments from three guards who are ranked among the top 15 players in the portal by 247Sports, giving his team what should be one of the top backcourts in the country next season.
In the hours after the Cardinals’ early NCAA Tournament exit, reports emerged that they were preparing to spend $8-$10 million in the portal. Now, those efforts are coming into clearer focus as the program aims to get back to the Final Four for the first time since 2013.
Here’s a closer look at Louisville’s work so far in the transfer portal:
Louisville transfer portal tracker
This week alone, Cardinals have landed three players in the transfer portal:
- Kennesaw State G Adrian Wooley: Committed March 31
- Xavier G Ryan Conwell: Committed April 1
- Virginia G Isaac McKneely: Committed April 3
Each of Louisville’s most recent additions is ranked among the top 15 players in 247’s ranking of the top available transfers nationally. Wooley is No. 5, Conwell is No. 12 and McKneely is No. 14.
If there’s a unifying trait between the three players, besides being guards, it’s outside shooting. Wooley shot 42.2% from 3-point range last season while earning Conference USA freshman of the year honors. Conwell, who previously ...
