Louisville basketball commit reclassifies, to join Pat Kelsey in 2026

A Louisville basketball commit in the Class of 2027 has decided to reenter the Class of 2026 and join the Cardinals for Year 3 of the Pat Kelsey era.

Isaac Ellis, a 6-foot-1 point guard who committed to UofL in December, announced Saturday his intentions to reclassify and enroll this summer with a post to Instagram — in collaboration with On3's Joe Tipton.

Ellis is a 19-year-old Hickory, North Carolina, native who in February was named the Most Valuable Player of the Atlanta-based Overtime Elite league. He was originally committed to South Carolina's 2026 recruiting class but opted to reclassify to the 2027 cycle upon backing out of his pledge to the Gamecocks last November.

Ellis led OTE in both points (29.3) and assists per game (8.9) during the 2025-26 regular season. He shot 40.8% from the field and 34.5% from 3-point range — attempting nearly 12 shots from beyond the arc per game.

With Saturday's announcement, Ellis becomes the eighth new addition to Louisville's 2026-27 roster — and the second true freshman to reclassify and suit up for the Cards a year ahead of schedule next season.

UofL scored a pledge last Sunday from Obinna Ekezie Jr., 7-footer who was the top center in the Class of 2027 on the 247Sports Composite and held onto that title upon joining the 2026 cycle.

Kelsey had secured six transfer portal commitments as of Saturday : former Kansas big man Flory Bidunga; former Oregon point guard Jackson Shelstad; former Arkansas wing ; former Iowa forward ; former USC center ; and former Dayton guard .