Report: Louisville Visiting Two Top-Five 2026 Prospects

The Cardinals are paying visits to some of the top prospects in the country.

Tyran Stokes stands on the court during an AAU basketball game July 5, 2023, at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam in North Augusta, S.C. A Louisville native, Stokes transferred to California's Prolific Prep for high school and is considered one of the top recruits in the Class of 2026. / Brooks Holton / USA TODAY NETWORK

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville men's basketball program has been incredibly active out on the recruiting trail for the last week. Wednesday marked the first day of a two-month long contact period for prospects in the Class of 2025, and the staff has been out on the road non-stop since.

Now, head coach Pat Kelsey and Co. are in visiting two of the top prospects in the Class of 2026 - both of whom are on the west coast.

According to The Scouting Service's Derek Murray, the Cardinals are visiting five-star prospects Sherman Oaks (Calif.) Notre Dame forward Tyran Stokes and Chatsworth (Calif.) HS guard Alijah Arenas on Monday.

Stokes, a Louisville native, is regarded as the top-ranked prospect in the 2026 cycle by two of the four major recruiting services, and comes in at No. 1 overall according to the 247Sports Composite. As you can imagine, the 6-foot-7, 245-pound power forward already holds several high major offers, such as from Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina, UCLA and others.

There's a reason so many blue bloods are after Stokes. He spent the first two years of his high school career at Napa (Calif.) Prolific Prep, and averaged 13.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game during his sophomore season. He earned First-Team MaxPreps Sophomore All-American honors, and helped guide Prolific Prep to a 34-6 record and the No. 4 national ranking.

As for Arenas - the son of former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas and brother of incoming Louisville women's basketball freshman Izela Arenas - he ranks as high as the No. 3 prospect in the cycle by Rivals. The 247Sports Composite tabs him as the No. 4 prospect and top shooting guard, and he hold offers from Alabama, Arizona, Kansas, Texas, UCLA and others.

Like Stokes, Arenas had an extremely prolific sophomore season for Chatsworth. In 35 games tracked by MaxPreps, he put up a whopping 33.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.9 steals per game, while also shooting 49.4 percent from the field and 32.8 percent on three-point attempts.

(Photo of Tyran Stokes: Brooks Holton - USA TODAY NETWORK)

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