Louisville basketball has not received a commitment from the 2026 recruiting class, but the fans just learned massive news that one of the Cardinals' top targets' commitment date is just 17 days away.
Rivals Joe Tipton just dropped a bombshell of a report that 5-star point guard and Kentucky native Taylen Kinney updated his recruiting list to just six schools and will announce his commitment on September 28.
NEWS: 2026 Top-15 recruit Tay Kinney will announce his college commitment on September 28th, a source tells @Rivals.
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) September 11, 2025
The 6-3 point guard updates his recruitment as he narrows in on a decision: https://t.co/LzmvGlEpUf pic.twitter.com/3p6pq4auo2
Pat Kelsey and the Louisville Cardinals will now go head-to-head with Kansas, Oregon, Indiana, Arkansas, and, in-state rival, the Kentucky Wildcats.
Related: Louisville and Kentucky rivalry intensifies in high-stakes battle for 5-star PG
Louisville fans are anxiously awaiting Taylen Kinney's massive decision
Louisville was once the dominant favorite to land Kinney, according to Tipton, but he recently reported the Jayhawks are making a strong case to be the new leader for the Cardinals' top target. Louisville made an in-house visit to Kinney just last week when the recruiting reopened up, and Kelsey has made it clear the 5-star point guard is his top guard target for the 2026 class.
Kinney is a consensus 5-star recruit in the 2026 class, and is ranked as high as the No. 11 recruit in the nation and the No. 1 point guard in the 2026 cycle. He played basketball at Newport High School in Kentucky during his freshman and sophomore seasons, and then played for RWE last season, where he went on to emerge as one of the best prospects in the 2026 class.
Louisville has been trending with Kinney for quite some time, but really took off after they received a visit from the 5-star back in June. After that official visit, Louisville fell in love with the Kentucky native and made it clear to him that they want him to replace Mikel Brown Jr. next season, and to be a 2027 NBA Draft pick as well.
Kinney cutting his list down to six schools and eliminating some of the big-time programs is massive for Louisville. Now, the Cardinals have to beat out these final five schools in the last two weeks of his recruiting process. The Cardinals are trying to establish themselves as a dominant point guard university, and if they secure Kinney's commitment, then this program is poised to become one of the best in college basketball.
Related: Louisville’s top target nears commitment after cancelling Texas and Miami visits
For all the latest on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.