Tay Kinney discusses Kentucky vs. Louisville -- and potentially following Jasper Johnson to Lexington

Kentucky has an extra recruiter in the building as it pushes for top-20 recruit Tay Kinney, a native of Newport, KY and arguably the top point guard in the class of 2026. The 6-2 scorer is a former high school teammate of Jasper Johnson, the local standouts building a close connection both on and off the floor suiting up for Overtime Elite’s RWE in Atlanta. Johnson averaged 20.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.8 assists per contest while Kinney added 20.1 points, 5.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game, forming one of the most talented and productive backcourts in the country last season.

Now, Johnson is an incoming freshman at Kentucky while Mark Pope is pushing for Kinney as one of his top targets in the rising senior class. It won’t hurt the Wildcats’ efforts having what resembles more of an older brother relationship than just a teammate on their side when it comes time for the No. 16 overall prospect to choose a school.

Take their exchange in KSR’s interview with Kinney in Colorado Springs at USA U19 Training Camp, for example. While asking about the four-star guard’s play and recruitment, Johnson was in the background trying to distract him from sharing polished, buttoned-up answers. Kinney responded by telling the world he’s better than his old RWE teammate — all in good fun, of course.

“I’m just gonna say one player, Jasper Johnson — I’m a better overall player than him,” he told KSR. “I can shoot better than him, dribble better than him, dunk better than him.”

What does Johnson do better than Kinney?

“Nothing,” he joked.

More on that in a second, but back to the real stuff, for now. Kentucky and Louisville, the two home-state schools, are seen as the top contenders with both coaching staffs pushing for the dynamic scorer out of Newport. They’re not alone, though, Kinney telling KSR that Texas, Arkansas, Indiana and Oregon are all pushing hard for his services, too. He’ll be visiting the Ducks in Eugene on September 6 with the Razorbacks, Hoosiers and Longhorns also expected to receive dates. He previously saw Purdue (January) and Louisville (June).

But the Wildcats are next in line, set to host the top-20 recruit for an official this week from June 24-26.

“It’s definitely grown over the weeks, months,” he told KSR of his relationship with Pope and the UK staff. “They want me to get on campus as soon as possible for this official visit. I’m talking to them more.”

Mark Pope got some one-on-one time with Tay Kinney during his time in Colorado Springs

Thought to be a head-to-head battle between Kentucky and Louisville for the top-20 recruit’s commitment

Native of Newport, KY pic.twitter.com/8wEiRj3dJ8

— Jack Pilgrim (@JackPilgrimKSR) June 17, 2025

Something working in UK’s favor? He grew up around BBN members with the blue and white regularly on TV around the house.

“It’s lit, they had Kentucky on fire, you know?” Kinney said of his memories of the Wildcats growing up. “Most of my family, they’re Kentucky fans.”

It wasn’t all blue, though. A few of his family members root for the Cardinals, too — and he definitely feels the tugging on both sides with the respective fanbases.

Apparently some BBN comments have caught his attention, for what it’s worth.

“We got a great relationship, a great relationship,” he told KSR of UL. “Louisville fans are definitely pulling for me, I don’t know about Kentucky fans — they said a couple things that are crazy. But they’re definitely pulling for me, some of them. They just say stuff about other players [laughs].”

No further comment on that, but whatever it is doesn’t appear to be hurting Kentucky’s chances too much considering he’s days away from exploring campus in Lexington. Kinney added in a follow-up interview with On3’s Jamie Shaw that Pope and his staff’s ability to rebuild the entire roster from scratch and win at the level the Wildcats did “just shows a lot about the coaches.”

“Coming in with zero players on the roster, put together a whole new team and they were out there winning,” he said.

A list cut down to six is coming soon — you can probably guess those six, considering the visit plans and schools pushing hardest at this point. From there, a decision isn’t too far away.

“I’d like to commit before the season,” he told KSR.

What will separate the school that most feels like home? When will he know that’s where he needs to be?

“It’s going to be where I’m most comfortable,” Kinney continued. “It’s where I feel I can go in there and they put the ball in my hands as a freshman and I’m able to go out and perform my best to get to the next level.”

That’s where things come full-circle with Jasper Johnson. His decision won’t necessarily steer him toward the blue over red, but Kinney is a big supporter and is excited to see how he plays in year one.

Who knows, maybe he’ll be following in his footsteps as a Wildcat next year?

“It don’t really impact me — I just want to see him succeed. I’m just gonna see how he does this year, maybe follow him? I don’t know yet,” he said with a smile.