Congratulations Louisville fans, John Calipari is officially leaving the state of Kentucky. In the late hours of the night, Calipari struck a deal with Arkansas to become their next men’s basketball coach, changing the face of SEC basketball.
Louisville men’s basketball can benefit from this coaching change as players from Kentucky might be looking to jump ship. This is the perfect opportunity for new head coach Pat Kelsey to get some high-quality transfers to help him out in his first season at a Power 5 school.
Not only can Kelsey get players from Kentucky, but he could also try to get commitments that haven’t been signed yet to Kentucky. Here is a look at which players and recruits Kelsey could Poach now that Calipari is heading to Arkansas.
So recruits that got offers from Louisville obviously didn’t get offers from Kelsey, but with a new coach, things can get enticing. Karter Knox is a 5-star recruit according to 247Sports who is a hard commit to Kentucky but has not signed a Letter of Intent.
Knox did get an offer from Louisville and even made an official visit back in October 2023. While his offer and visit were with Kenny Payne, there clearly was still interest in the program, enough to visit. If Knox were to open back up his recruitment, Louisville could still be in the running to land Knox.
The small forward out of Atlanta, Georgia would be a great addition for the Cardinals. He is ranked 19th nationally, the 6th-ranked small forward in the country and the second-best recruit in the state of Georgia.
Billy Richmond is another recruit that committed to Kentucky but he also hasn’t signed his Letter of Intent either. Richmond is ranked 24th nationally by 247Sports, is the 8th-ranked small forward in the country, and is the second-best player in the state of New Jersey.
