Louisville basketball is currently in a heated recruiting battle with Kansas, Kentucky, Oregon, Arkansas, and Indiana for 5-star point guard Taylen Kinney. The Cardinals fans are sweating over this recruit as he is not only the nation's No. 1 point guard in the 2026 class, but with him being a Kentucky native, the fans desperately want him.
Louisville was once the dominant favorite to land Kinney, but after he took a visit to Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks, the Cardinals saw their lead get taken away. Now, the Jayhawks have a commanding lead on Louisville and the rest of the teams still remaining, but Pat Kelsey might have just made the biggest pitch to Kinney yet, and it might have just put Louisville back in position to land Kinney.
Related: Pat Kelsey’s bold Louisville claim is a pivotal pitch to 5-star Taylen Kinney
Pat Kelsey's PGU claim puts Louisville in a good position with Taylen Kinney
Earlier in the week, Kelsey claimed that Louisville basketball is the modern-day Point Guard University. Whether he believes that and the fans think that isn't the point, but it was clearly a massive recruiting pitch on The Field of 68 podcast.
Louisville has had some elite guards, and Kelsey is trending in the right direction to be PGU after having Chucky Hepburn in year one and Mikel Brown Jr. in year two. And now, as the Cards sit just behind the Jayhawks, without directing his comment directly to Kinney, he is letting the Kentucky native know that if he wants to be a future NBA star, well then, Louisville is the place for him.
The Cardinals coach's master plan is a perfect pitch to the point guard, and it was at a crucial moment. Louisville has paid multiple in-house visits to Kelsey. They are pushing hard for the 5-star, but with Louisville's head coach explaining live on YouTube that Mikel Brown Jr. committing to Louisville was the best decision and is now a future NBA lottery pick. The Cardinals' PGU is a master plan to try to persuade Kinney to commit to Louisville on September 28.
Kinney is a perfect fit for 'PGU' and has been Kelsey's top target for quite some time. Louisville, of course, has been all-in on Tyran Stokes as well, but the Cardinals have made a strong push for Kinney in August and September. The fans hope Kelsey's master plan works and Louisville steals Kinney away from Kansas, but it will be a close battle until the end.
Kinney ranks as high as No. 11 in the nation and the No. 1 point guard in the 2026 recruiting class. If Kelsey's master plan succeeds, then Louisville would earn the commitment from the nation's No. 1 point guard in consecutive years, making it hard to argue they aren't 'PGU'.
The Kentucky native and 5-star point guard will commit on Sunday, September 28, at 1:30 p.m. local time.
Related: 3 recruits Pat Kelsey and Louisville must land to prove their bold ‘PGU’ claim