Elite '26 PG, Louisville Target Taylen Kinney Announces Collegiate Decision

The long and winding recruitment of five-star Class of 2026 prospect Taylen "Tay" Kinney has finally come to an end. But unfortunately for the Louisville men's basketball program, it is not a recruitment that ended in their favor.

The Atlanta (Ga.) Overtime Elite point guard announced Sunday that he has given his verbal pledge to Kansas. He chose the Jayhawks primarily over Louisville, as well Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky and Oregon.

Throughout the bulk of Kinney's recruitment, Louisville was presumed to be the frontrunner. Not only did his visit UofL multiple times over the course of his recruitment, head coach Pat Kelsey and his staff has also watched him at several stops over the last year, as well as paid a handful of in-home visits.

But over the last month, Kansas made a serious push in Kinney's recruitment. The Newport, Ky. native took an official visit to Lawrence during the weekend of August 23, and over the next couple weeks, the Jayhawks went from being co-leaders with Louisville to outright favorites.

Losing out on the 6-foot-1, 185-pound ball handler is a massive development, and not just because of his ties to the Commonwealth. Kinney is regarded as a five-star prospect by two of the three major recruiting services, ranking as high as the No. 1 point guard and 13th-ranked prospect overall by 247Sports' in-house rankings. The 247Sports Composite tabs him ranks as the No. 2 point guard and 17th-ranked overall prospect.

During the Overtime Elite's 2024-25 season, Kinney established himself as one of the top players in the league. Playing for RWE, he averaged 20.1 points, 5.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game, while also shooting 55.6 percent from the field and 33.3 percent on three-point attempts.

As a sophomore, Kinney had a productive season in what was his final season at Newport (Ky.) HS. In 33 games, he averaged 17.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists, and shot 48.4 percent overall plus 41.4 percent on threes. He helped guide the Wildcats to a 32-4 record, making it to the Sweet Sixteen of the 2024 KHSAA boys basketball playoffs.