Louisville basketball fans have been keeping a close eye on many 2026 prospects, but without a doubt, the Cardinals' top two targets are the Kentucky natives, Tyran Stokes and Taylen Kinney. While Stokes' recruiting process has been quiet and hard to predict, Kinney has had much more buzz.
The Cardinals were once the dominant favorite to land Kinney, but now have lost some of their lead away as Kentucky and Kansas gained ground. In the latest news and rumors surrounding Kinney, 247Sports' Travis Branham reported that the Kentucky native has canceled his visits to Texas and Miami, leading many to believe a commitment is imminent and those two programs are off the table.
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Louisville basketball fans anxiously await Tay Kinney
The 5-star point guard cancelling his visits to Miami and Texas is a massive sign that those two programs are most likely out of the picture. If that is the case, then five other schools after Louisville made his top eight in his updated recruiting list last month.
Taylen Kinney, the No. 1 overall PG in the country, has canceled his visits to Texas and Miami, a source tells @247Sports.
— Travis Branham (@TravisBranham_) September 7, 2025
Has one visit left to Arkansas. https://t.co/nkz63NA8O7 pic.twitter.com/h535NZ8J2J
The Cardinals are in a head-to-head recruiting battle with Kentucky, Kansas, Arkansas, Indiana, and Oregon. Kinney recently visited Oregon and Kansas, and kept his visit with Arkansas for September 26. Kansas is one of the late bloomers for Kinney's recruiting process, causing both Pat Kelsey and Mark Pope to make a midnight in-house visit to Kinney earlier this month.
Kinney ranks as high as No. 11 in the nation and is the best point guard in the 2026 recruiting class. He is a dominant scorer with the ability to take over the game at any point. The Kentucky native is from Newport, Kentucky, and has vocalized that Kelsey told him they want him, and they are all-in on him. Kinney stated that they want him to be a one-and-done player and a 2027 NBA Draft pick, replacing their Mikel Brown Jr.
Kelsey and the staff are working overtime to try to earn his commitment, and after he cancelled two crucial visits, it appears it is a six-team race, and the commitment date is sooner than the fans had thought.
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For all the latest on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.