With so much roster turnover, and all of the unknowns that go with that, It’s hard to say for sure whether Pat Kelsey is building a legitimate national championship contender at Louisville. Time will tell, I guess. But one thing that’s crystal clear already is that he’s spending money like crazy and trying super-hard to return his historically proud program to prominence.
The latest reminder came Wednesday when Kelsey and his staff secured a commitment from former North Carolina standout Seth Trimble, whose addition was made possible after a federal judge in Colorado granted what amounts to a blanket waiver late last month for athletes who graduated high school in 2022 to get a fifth year of eligibility. Trimble averaged 14.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists last season for a UNC team that finished 26th in the NET.
Trimble reportedly signed with the Cardinals for around $3 million and is the reason Louisville is up to No. 8 in Version 23 of the 2026-27 CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 preseason college basketball rankings, where Florida remains No. 1 based on a projection that the Gators will return six of the top seven scorers — specifically Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon, Boogie Fland, Rueben Chinyelu, Urban Klavzar and Isaiah Brown — from a team that won the SEC by three games and was a No. 1 seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Trimble started 42 games over the past two years for the Tar Heels and figures to start alongside Oregon transfer Jackson Shelstad in Louisville’s backcourt this season. In fact, it’s possible, if not likely, that Kelsey will use a starting lineup featuring nothing but high-priced transfers from a roster that’s going to end up costing well above $20 million.
Here’s one possible starting lineup for Louisville with each player’s former school in parenthesis:
All of those players were key rotation pieces for NCAA Tournament teams last season. Barring a huge surprise, they should combine to do the same this season at Louisville, and the Cardinals returning to the Final Four for the first time since 2013 is a goal that seems achievable.
