Kentucky makes first list cut for 4-star 2026 guard Tay Kinney

Tay Kinney was handing out presents on Christmas Day — 15 of them to be exact.

Kinney, a 6-foot-2 four-star point guard from the class of 2026, announced on Wednesday that he’s down to 15 college finalists. The Bluegrass native has cut his options to Kentucky, Georgia, Illinois, Purdue, Kansas, Tennessee, Auburn, Oregon, Kansas State, Alabama, Louisville, Cincinnati, Arkansas, Notre Dame, and Xavier.

Originally from Newport, KY, Kinney transferred to Atlanta’s Overtime Elite back in the summer ahead of his junior high school season. He’s currently teammates on OTE’s Rod Wave Elite with Kentucky 2025 signee Jasper Johnson. Kinney is averaging 22.1 points, 4.6 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per outing on shooting splits of 62.7/42.9/69.4 so far this season.

Taylen Kinney, a top-20 recruit in the 2026 class, announced his top 15 schools on Instagram.

The 6-2 Point Guard out of Kentucky received nearly 40 scholarship offers. https://t.co/dmVNusntuY pic.twitter.com/Xtibbo1XhT

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) December 25, 2024

Some of the notable schools to not make Kinney’s Top 15 include Ohio State, Indiana, Villanova, Michigan, Texas, and Creighton, among others. He holds over 40 Division I scholarships. On3 currently ranks Kinney as the 19th-best junior in the entire country.

Kentucky head coach Mark Pope extended him an offer over the summer while on a trip to Lexington, making him one of 11 recruits from the 2026 cycle to hold a scholarship from UK. Now that the 2025 class is nearly wrapped up, expect Kinney to be a priority target for Pope and his coaching staff over the coming months. Not only is he extremely talented, but he’s another in-state prospect, which Pope has coveted.

Cincinnati, Xavier, and Illinois are schools to monitor as ones he’s held long relationships with. John Calipari, who lightly recruited Kinney to UK, is ramping up the interest now at Arkansas. A rejuvenated Louisville program could always be a factor, as well. But Pope and Kentucky will be right there until the end.