Kentucky’s Surprise Top 8 Spot for Tay Kinney Sparks Buzz – What’s Next?

Kentucky: “Really good visit. The team this year, the way they was practicing, the way they play, that really stood out. We hung out with (Mark) Pope at their house, went out to dinner, and watched a practice. They play fast, get up and down, and shoot a lot of threes.”

Tay Kinney, Newport’s own rising star, just dropped his elite list of eight schools, and yep, the Wildcats are in. Alongside Kentucky, Kinney’s eye-catching top-tier choices include Louisville, Arkansas, Indiana, Texas, Oregon, Miami, and Kansas—talk about a stacked lineup. Meanwhile, Auburn, Purdue, Tennessee, and Xavier didn’t make the cut, showing just how stiff the competition is. This 6-foot-2 dynamo isn’t just any recruit; he’s one of the fiercest point guards rolling in the 2026 class, boasting a shiny 5-star ranking and sitting comfortably among the nation’s top 15 prospects. Having impressed at the recent NBPA Top-100 Camp with a stat line that reads like a highlight reel—22 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists per game—Kinney’s prospects are hotter than ever. With visits under his belt to Kentucky and Louisville, plus trips lined up to Kansas and Arkansas soon, the recruitment battle is heating to a boil. There’s a real buzz in the air, and this race? Oh, it’s far from over. LEARN MORE

Kinney ranks as one of the top point guards in the 2026 recruiting class. The 6-foot-2 guard is considered a 5-star prospect and is viewed as a top-15 prospect by most recruiting services.

Tay Kinney, the Newport, Kentucky native, announced his top 8 schools earlier today, and the Wildcats made the cut. Also included were Louisville, Arkansas, Indiana, Texas, Oregon, Miami, and Kansas.

Auburn, Purdue, Tennessee, and Xavier were cut from the list.

Kinney really shined in the recent NBPA Top-100 Camp, earning First-Team honors by averaging about 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists per game.

This will be a hotly contested recruitment moving forward. Kinney has already made visits to Kentucky and Louisville, and has multiple scheduled visits coming up, including a scheduled visit to Kansas this weekend and a trip to Arkansas near the end of September.