Louisville to hire Pat Kelsey: Charleston coach led Cougars to last two NCAA Tournaments

Kelsey will replace Kenny Payne, who was fired earlier this month

By Cameron Salerno  & Matt Norlander Mar 27, 2024 at 4:00 pm ET• 2 min read

After a hunt that lasted more than two weeks, Louisville has its next head coach. Charleston's Pat Kelsey has accepted Louisville's offer to become its next basketball coach, sources tell CBS Sports' Matt Norlander. The two sides have verbally agreed on a deal to have Kelsey succeed Kenny Payne. Louisville has scheduled a press conference for Wednesday, when it is expected Kelsey will be introduced as the next Cardinals coach. 

The deal is for five years, per a source, and the terms of the contract need to be approved by the UofL Athletic Association's Board of Directors Thursday afternoon.

Louisville was in discussions Tuesday and well into Wednesday with Kelsey and Indiana State coach Josh Schertz, according to Norlander. Louisville athletic director Josh Heird put a lot of time and effort into both candidates. A potential deal with Schertz, whose Sycamores team is still playing in the NIT, fell through early Wednesday afternoon. That opened the door for Kelsey to take the job. 

The Kelsey hire comes a day removed from reports that New Mexico's Richard Pitino was a top Louisville target. Pitino's candidacy faded as quickly as it bubbled up, sources said, in no small part because of concern about the potential pitfalls that could come with having another Pitino coach the Cardinals. Rick Pitino, of course, was there from 2001-2017 and left amid scandal, only to have his name cleared in the FBI probe years later.