UK, UL target Tay Kinney commits to Kansas

The recruit who had Mark Pope and Pat Kelsey fistfighting outside an Atlanta apartment building isn’t going to either of the local schools in the Commonwealth. Instead, Newport’s own Tay Kinney is going to Kansas, choosing the Jayhawks over fellow finalists Kentucky, Louisville, Arkansas, Oregon, Texas, Miami (FL) and Indiana.

Kidding on the fistfight, not kidding about Kinney going to Lawrence. It was the expected result after a very unexpected turn in the four-star guard’s recruitment, not for the Wildcats, but for Kelsey and the Cardinals. He took an official visit to Lexington back in June and several other unofficials in the past, but adidas’ influence on his decision had pushed momentum toward Louisville in the heat of the summer with the apparel brand leading the way — just as it did in guiding five-star guard Mikel Brown Jr. to the red and black last cycle.

Instead, it was Kansas coming in and stealing him away coming off his official visit to Lawrence in late August. He took follow-up trips to Indiana, Oregon, Texas, Miami (FL) and Arkansas, but all of the buzz stuck with the Jayhawks through the finish line.

Kinney’s adidas connection will remain, but not as a Cardinal.

“Coach Self said I’d get to play right when I stepped in, that I’d come in and be a man,” Kinney said of his commitment to KU. “He gave me the keys and said this is my team next year. He wanted me to be there for 10 months and take the next step (to the NBA). … It was just different from every other school I’d visited.”

As you may remember, Kentucky and Louisville both met with Kinney to open the in-person recruiting period just after midnight back on Sept. 3, leading to a back-and-forth between Pope and Kelsey. As the story goes, Pope was running late to the meeting and Kelsey decided to start his visit with the prized target early.

“Pope was upset, and there were words exchanged,” one source told Jacob Polacheck of KSR+.

At the time, Kentucky had already fallen off while Louisville was hoping to flip the momentum back away from Kansas. Instead, neither landed the in-state target.

Kinney, who is finishing his high school career at Overtime Elite (Georgia), is the nation’s No. 15 overall prospect and No. 3 point guard according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, an equally weighted average that utilizes all three major recruiting services. Rivals ranks Kinney as the No. 22 overall player in the 2026 class and No. 4 at his position.

As for Kentucky’s other real point guard targets moving forward, Deron Rippey Jr. is the top priority at the position, while Jordan Smith Jr., Caleb Holt and Bryson Howard are the other guards of interest to go with Tyran Stokes, Maximo Adams and Arafan Diane making up the bigger wings and frontcourt targets.

Best of luck to TK at Kansas. Sorry about the whiff, PK.