Louisville basketball target profile: 2026 PG Tay Kinney

Tay, or Taylen, Kinney is a standout point guard for Newport High School in Newport, Kentucky. He also plays for the All-Ohio Sumner AAU 15U team. The 6-foot, 160-pound Kinney is starting to gain more and more recruiting momentum as he continues to flash his talent. Recently, he picked up another Division I offer, from Illinois.

But, Kenny Payne saw something early in him and became one of the first Power Five programs to extend him a scholarship offer. Tay Kinney officially received his offer from the University of Louisville on March 31, 2023.

His list of offers right now includes Texas A&M, College of Charleston, Jackson State, Morgan State, and Radford, among others. Tay Kinney is heading into his sophomore year in high school, a member of the Class of 2026. But, he is garnering a lot of buzz even at his young age. According to MADE Hoops’ Trent Watson, he was one of the Midwest Mania standouts in April:

"“Taylen Kinney is a gamer, the epitome of a flat-out hooper. Kinney has an advanced feel for how and when to attack defenses, and is blessed with natural scoring ability. He’s comfortable shooting from any spot on the floor, out of different situations. Kinney has good positional size and likes to get out in transition, where he can play above the rim and be athletic.”"

As a freshman in high school, he averaged 13.9 points per game, 4.6 assists per game, 3.9 rebounds per game, and shot 46% from the field. A very impressive stat line for Kinney and as he continues to grow into his body, he’s only going to get better. Trey Robinson, the founder of Savant Athletics, is on record saying he “is already making a case of being the best combo guard in his class!”

With the way Kenny Payne’s recruiting is trending, the University of Louisville basketball program is only trending upward. And Tay Kinney would be a great asset to the team in the future.