Louisville basketball was one of the biggest and best stories in college basketball last season as Pat Kelsey led one of the best turnarounds the sport has seen in recent memory. Now, it looks like the Cardinals are geared up to be even better, and they got a big boost on Friday centered around big man Aly Khalifa.

After redshirting in 2024-25 due to a knee injury that kept him out for the entire season, Khalifa received a waiver for next season and will return to Louisville to play for Kelsey and company next season, according to Joe Tipton of On3 Sports.

“Louisville’s Aly Khalifa has now been deemed eligible to play this upcoming season, source tells @On3sports,” Tipton reported on X, formerly Twitter. “The 6-11 big man redshirted this past season. His waiver was originally denied but will now play for the ‘Cards in 25-26.”

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Khalifa was projected to be a big piece of the Louisville roster last season, but ended up being forced to sit on the sideline with an injury while the much smaller Cardinals made an improbable run through the ACC in the regular season. However, against Ryan Kalkbrenner and Creighton in the NCAA Tournament, Louisville desperately missed the size that Khalifa would have provided.

While the 6-foot-10 senior didn't put up big stats during his lone season at BYU in 2023-24, he still was a very productive player on an NCAA Tournament team during that campaign. During that season in Provo, Khalifa averaged 5.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game in under 20 minutes per game. He is a phenomenal passer for his size, averaging four assists per game during that limited time.

It's unlikely that Khalifa will have a much bigger role than that this season on a Louisville squad that is loaded after a massive offseason in the transfer portal, but having a big man that the Cardinals can go to inside to and use as a hub offensively will give them much more versatility.

As a result, a Louisville basketball team that was already one of the strongest in the nation heading into next season is now even more dangerous.