Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey was in to see top-priority 2026 point guard Tay Kinney at midnight just as the recruiting period began on Wednesday.
The Newport, Kentucky, native also welcomed UK’s Mark Pope into his home, according to On3’s Joe Tipton.
Kinney cut his list to eight two weeks ago and is nearing a commitment as he wraps up fall visits. The list includes Louisville, Texas, Oregon, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Miami, and Arkansas. Here is the 6-foot-2, 185-pound guard’s fall visit schedule.
- Kansas — 8/22 – Completed
- Indiana — 8/29 – Completed
- Oregon — 9/6
- Texas — 9/12
- Miami — 9/19
- Arkansas — 9/26
“It’s a great relationship. They tell me I’m their guy. They want me to step in for Mikel (Brown),” Kinney told Tipton of Louisville this past summer.
Keeping Kinney in-state has been a priority for Kelsey in the 2026 cycle. It’s looking like he’ll need a point guard if Mikel Brown Jr. is a one-and-done, plus showing up at the No. 15 player in the nation’s house as soon as the period begins is some serious legwork.
Kentucky’s No. 1 overall prospect has already stepped on campus twice. Once, when Kenny Payne was the coach in September of 2023, and for an official visit this past June. The high four-star could set a commitment time any day now and could announce his college decision before the basketball season begins.
Kinney is one of the top on-ball playmakers in his class and shined at the NBPA Top-100 Camp, earning a first-team selection. He averaged 22 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and shot it 52 percent from the field and over 45 percent from beyond the arc.
Here’s the event scouting report from On3’s Jamie Shaw:
Tay Kinney brought the fire all weekend and he provided some impressive highlights throughout his four games. The two key factors for Kinney’s game, for me, were his handle and his shooting range.
The 6-foot-2 guard has a slippery handle. He was able to consistently get into the paint and collapse a defense. He showed an array of counter dribbles and step back footwork to find open space to get clean looks. And the shooting was consistent. Throughout the week, Kinney knocked down shots off the catch and off movement. He was both efficient and confident. He will need to continue getting stronger, which should help him become more of a presence on defense, and take better care of possessions, but his talent was undeniable in flashes at the NBPA Top 100 Camp.
