Elite '26 PG Taylen Kinney Names Louisville to Updated List of Top Schools

The Louisville men's basketball program is still in the running for one of their top targets in the Class of 2026.

Atlanta (Ga.) Overtime Elite point guard Taylen "Tay" Kinney, a top-15 prospect in the cycle, trimmed his list of top schools from 12 to 15 on Tuesday, with the Cardinals making the cut.

Arkansas, Auburn, Kansas, Kentucky, Oregon, Purdue, Tennessee and Xavier survived the cut from his past list, and are still in the running for his commitment. Indiana, Miami and Texas round out the newcomers amongst his top schools, whereas Alabama, Cincinnati, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas State and Notre Dame were cut out.

Outside of No. 1 overall 2026 prospect Tyran Stokes, Kinney is arguably UofL's top target in the cycle. He has visited multiple times over the course of his recruitment, including an official visit during the weekend of June 5. Head coach Pat Kelsey and his staff have also watched him at several stops over the last year, including the 3SSB All-American Camp, the KABC Titans Shootout and the Overtime Elite itself.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound ball handler is regarded as a five-star prospect by two of the four major recruiting services, ranking as high as the No. 1 point guard and 11th-ranked prospect overall by 247Sports' in-house rankings. The 247Sports Composite tabs him ranks as the No. 1 point guard and 14th-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.