Top-Ranked 2026 Point Guard Taylen Kinney Set To Visit Kansas

The Kansas Jayhawks are days away from hosting one of the top players in the 2026 recruiting class on an official visit.

5-star point guard Taylen Kinney is set to begin his trip to Lawrence on Friday, Aug. 22, marking his first stop of a five-school tour that extends until the end of September.

The Newport, Kentucky, native is the top-ranked point guard among the nation’s rising seniors and sits as the No. 12 overall player on 247 Sports' recruiting rankings.

Kinney is listed at 6-foot-1 and 185 pounds and stars as a lead guard for Rod Wave Elite. In the Overtime Elite League during the 2024-25 season, Kinney stuffed up the stat sheet for RWE.

He averaged 20.1 points, 5.0 assists, and 4.0 rebounds to go along with 2.3 steals per contest. Kinney shot 55.6% from the floor and connected on 33.3% of his attempts from 3-point range.

He is widely regarded as one of the best facilitators in his class and has earned recognition as an all-around, two-way star.

Following his visit to Kansas, Kinney will travel to Indiana (Aug. 29) next week, with additional visits scheduled to Oregon (Sept. 6), Texas (Sept. 12), and Arkansas (Sept. 26) next month.

The elite guard has already visited Kentucky and Louisville this past June. Those two schools are believed to be the most serious contenders for his com mitment, considering their location close to his hometown.

"[Kansas] got national championships, they got players in the NBA, and they got DP [Darryn Peterson]," Kinney previously said in an interview with ZAGSBLOG. "I really want to see what they can do with DP. I think he’s a pro. When he goes to Kansas, I want to see what they do, if they let him rock out, what they do."

The Jayhawks appear to be firmly in the running for Kinney, and it will be worth monitoring how his recruitment unfolds once his visit slate wraps up.

MORE: Kansas Basketball Recruiting: 2026 Prospects Visiting KU in August

Taylen Kinney Kicks Off August Visit Slate

Kinney will become the first prospect to visit Kansas since international big man Sayon Keita, who spent a day in Lawrence late last month.

Once Kinney completes his stop at KU, star twins Gavin and Gallagher Placide will arrive on Aug. 25.

4-star wing Latrell Allmond will then round out the Jayhawks’ August visitor list when he makes his way to Lawrence on Aug. 28.