ESPN 100 prospects Anfernee Simons and Courtney Ramey both decommitted from Louisville on Wednesday, less than an hour after the school announced head coach Rick Pitino was placed on administrative leave.
"Due to the recent events that have taken place, my family and I have decided it's in my best interest to de-commit from the University of Louisville," Simons said in a statement on Twitter. "I will be reopening my recruitment. This was a very tough decision to make and I am deeply saddened by this. I appreciate all of the support from the Louisville fans."
Ramey's father, Terrell, confirmed to ESPN that his son has also reopened his recruitment.
"Yes he has, unfortunately," Ramey said.
Later Wednesday, elite prospect Romeo Langford also cut Louisville from his remaining list, his father told ESPN.
Langford was the Cardinals' top perimeter target left in the 2018 class, and Louisville had been considered the favorite for Langford for most of the spring and summer. Over the past few weeks, however, Indiana and Kansas have made up plenty of ground on Louisville, while Vanderbilt was also making a strong push.
Langford, a 6-foot-5 guard, is ranked No. 5 in the ESPN 100 for 2018. He attends New Albany High School (Indiana), which is less than 10 miles from Louisville's campus.
Louisville placed Pitino on unpaid administrative leave on Wednesday, after the program was linked to an FBI investigation into fraud and corruption in basketball recruiting. Louisville was not explicitly named in the FBI documents, but the school confirmed it was part of the investigation. The allegations include requesting that Adidas funnel $100,000 to the family of a prospect so he would sign with Louisville. The prospect is believed to be Brian Bowen, who committed to the Cardinals in early June.
Simons, a 6-foot-4 guard from IMG Academy (Florida), is ranked No. 8 in the ESPN 100 for 2018. He originally committed to Louisville last fall. He was one of the most impressive players on the Under Armour Association circuit this spring and summer, averaging 20.4 points and 5.5 rebounds for Team Breakdown.
Ramey, a 6-foot point guard from Webster Groves High School (Missouri), is No. 49 in the ESPN 100. He committed to the Cardinals in February. Ramey averaged 15.0 points and 4.4 rebounds for Ramey Jets United on the Adidas Gauntlet circuit.
Louisville now has zero commitments in the 2018 class, but in-state guard David Johnson is still committed for 2019.