While Louisville native and No. 1 player in the 2026 class, Tyran Stokes, might be the top player on Pat Kelsey’s recruiting wishlist, Taylen Kinney is probably the five-star that has been most closely connected with the Cardinals. The Overtime Elite prospect is the No. 1 point guard in the class and No. 16 overall player.
However, he could be in danger of slipping out of Kelsey’s grasp. Louisville was included in Kinney’s top eight, which he released on Thursday, but that wasn’t the only piece of news to come out about his recruitment. Rivals’ Joe Tipton reported that Kinney is scheduled to take an official visit to Kansas this weekend, and that could signal that Bill Self’s Jayhawks are in a good position to land his commitment.
2026 Top-15 overall recruit Tay Kinney is taking an official visit to Kansas this weekend, source tells @Rivals. https://t.co/QeV0AuiPNW https://t.co/DhswpEYv7O pic.twitter.com/1ltW9GDCVT
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) August 21, 2025
Taylen Kinney slated to visit Kansas over the weekend
Kinney, a 6-foot-1 Kentucky native, took his official visit to Louisville back in June, but his trip did not result in a decision. He is not currently scheduled to take another trip to visit Kelsey’s program, but does have official visits on the books with Indiana, Oregon, Texas, Miami (FL), and Arkansas through the rest of August and September.
Only two of the top 20 players in the 2026 class have announced their commitments: No. 8 Jason Crowe Jr. to Missouri, and No. 20 JJ Andrews to Arkansas. So, it’s not surprising that Kinney didn’t lock in with Louisville back in June, but those commitments will begin to roll in as their senior seasons approach.
Point guard could be a position of need for the Cardinals on the 2026 roster, though plenty will change with Transfer Portal movement between now and then. Still, this season’s point guard, true freshman Mikel Brown Jr., was a star in international play over the summer and projects as a likely one-and-done who will head to the NBA next summer.
While he built his first roster through the Portal, Kelsey has recruited high school talent at a high level since taking over at Louisville. Landing Kinney would continue that momentum, but it won’t be easy with Bill Self and Kansas in the mix. The Jayhawks and a bona fide blue blood program with a recent national championship to boast as a selling point in pursuit of the top players in the class.
Aside from Self, John Calipari is probably the most intimidating competiton in Kinney's recruitment because of his track record of turning undersized guards into NBA stars.