All Hogs

REPORT: Hogs expected to host top point guard for official visit

Calipari continues to attract top point guards for his system, Kinney could be latest
Jacob Davis|
Former Newport point guard Tay Kinney (0) reacts after scoring two of his 13 points in the first half against Washington County at Wednesday's 2023 King of the Bluegrass basketball tournament at Fairdale High School. Dec. 20, 2023
Former Newport point guard Tay Kinney (0) reacts after scoring two of his 13 points in the first half against Washington County at Wednesday's 2023 King of the Bluegrass basketball tournament at Fairdale High School. Dec. 20, 2023 | Matt Stone/The Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

In this story:

Arkansas Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas coach John Calipari continues to hit the road recruiting for the 2026 class as the nation's No. 1 point guard set to visit, according to On3 sports.

Tay Kinney, a 5-star from Atlanta's Overtime Elite, has scheduled an official visit with Razorback coaches Sept. 26.

Kinney is the No. 14 overall prospect in the country and top player in the state of Georgia for 2026, according to 247sports composite rankings.

Arkansas has quite the pipeline of talent coming in from Overtime Elite under Calipari's watch, as the Razorbacks have signed a pair of guards from the prep facility since he was hired last April.

Sophomore Karter Knox and true freshman Meleek Thomas were prolific scorers at OTE and are both projected to have big years at Arkansas this season.

The 6-foot-1, 185 pound point guard attended an official visit at Louisville last month along with being recruited by Purdue and Kentucky. Other schools involved in his recruitment are Kansas, Oregon and North Carolina.

Kinney is also scheduled to visit Indiana (Aug. 29), Oregon (Sept. 6) and Texas (September 12).

While Kinney is a Kentucky native, it may be a tough task to get his attention away from in-state schools but when Calipari wants someone, he'll oftentimes get them.

As a sophomore year at Newport High School in Kentucky, he averaged 18 points, four rebounds, three assists and over one steal per game.

Kinney scored in double figures in each of his games as a junior, averaging over 20 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals per game with shooting splits of 56% from the field, 33% from three and 74% at the free throw line.

Razorbacks coach John Calipari at practice at the Eddie Sutton Practice Center
Razorbacks coach John Calipari at practice at the Eddie Sutton Practice Center in Fayetteville, Ark. | Andy Hodges-Hogs on SI Images

Scouting Report

Kinney is a scoring and playmaking lead guard who is smooth and versatile with his attack. He’s a three-range scoring threat who is creative and crisp with his handle, especially adept at getting to his pull-up, but can also get to the paint. He can rise-up at the rim when he has some momentum, and also owns dexterity and touch as a lay-up maker.

He’s capable of knocking down open threes, with a plenty projectable stroke, but could get more consistent after making 33% in the OTE last season and short-arming his release at times.

He’s great in drive-and-kick type actions but also understands how to feed the post. While he’s naturally aggressive, he does so without unnecessarily dominating the ball as he plays within the flow pretty instinctively.

Defensively, he’s good with his hands and shown flashes of being able to blow-up ball screens, but like most kids his age, just needs to be more consistent with his approach.
Adam Finkelstein, 247sports

Calipari has made a living over his career developing point guards for successful NBA careers. He is one of a select few coaches in basketball history to have coached two most valuable players in Derrick Rose and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander which should be a great recruiting tool for Arkansas.

Razorbacks 2026 Offer List

5-star PG Brandon McCoy, Bellflower, California
5-star PG Jason Crowe, Inglewood, California
5-star PG Taylen Kinney, Atlanta, Georgia
5-star SG Jordan Smith, Fairfax, Virginia
4-star SG JJ Andrews, Little Rock (committed)
5-star SF Tyran Stokes, Sherman Oaks, California
5-star SF Tajh Ariza, Bellflower, California
4-star SF Abdou Traore, West Haven, Connecticut
5-star PF Christian Collins, Bellflower, California
5-star PF Miikka Muurinen, Chandler, Arizona
5-star C Arafan Diane, Norwalk, Iowa

HOGS FEED:

Published
Jacob Davis
JACOB DAVIS

Jacob Davis is a reporter for Arkansas Razorbacks on SI, with a decade of experience covering high school and transfer portal recruiting. He has previously worked at Rivals, Saturday Down South, SB Nation and hosted podcasts with Bleav Podcast Network where his show was a finalist for podcast of the year. Native of El Dorado, he currently resides in Central Arkansas with his wife and daughter.

Home/Men's Basketball