Taylen Kinney Commitment Date: Will 2026 Star Commit to Kansas?

5-star recruit Taylen Kinney revealed when he will make his college decision. It is looking more and more likely that he chooses Kansas as his destination.

Taylen Kinney (0) stands on the court during an AAU basketball game July 4, 2023, at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam in North Augusta, S.C. A Newport native, Kinney is a Class of 2026 recruit and holds a scholarship offer to play at Louisville. | Brooks Holton / USA TODAY NETWORK

One of the top players in the 2026 recruiting class is set to make his decision this month.

Taylen Kinney, one of Kansas basketball’s top priorities on the recruiting trail, announced earlier today that he would be making his college choice on Sept. 28. 

NEWS: 2026 Top-15 recruit Tay Kinney will announce his college commitment on September 28th, a source tells @Rivals.

The 6-3 point guard updates his recruitment as he narrows in on a decision: https://t.co/LzmvGlEpUf pic.twitter.com/3p6pq4auo2

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) September 11, 2025

The Newport, Kentucky native will be choosing between eight schools in his final list (Kansas, Louisville, Kentucky, Indiana, Arkansas, Texas, Oregon, and Miami (FL).

However, it’s a pretty well-known fact that KU and Louisville are the leaders in his recruitment. 

On3 recruiting insider Joe Tipton tabbed those two schools as the likely destination for Kinney earlier this month, and the Jayhawks’ chances have skyrocketed ever since the coaching staff hosted him on an official visit at the end of August.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound point guard is a consensus 5-star prospect. He is ranked the No. 13 overall player and No. 1 point guard by 247 Sports’ 2026 Rankings. 

Kinney is a quick, explosive athlete who contributes in all facets of the game. He plays for the Rod Wave Elite team in Overtime Elite and posted averages of 20.1 points, 5.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.3 steals in the 2024-25 campaign.

He recently canceled his scheduled visits to Texas and Miami (FL), likely leaving those two programs out of the mix. Kinney is still scheduled to visit Arkansas on Sept. 26, two days before his commitment date — it remains to be seen whether he ends up making his way to Fayetteville.

Many coaches and scouts were present at his Overtime Elite Pro Day in Atlanta today, where he further solidified his reputation as one of the best players in the class. 

Kentucky’s Mark Pope and UL’s Pat Kelsey have also made frequent stops to see Kinney throughout the summer, as they were once considered the favorites to land his services. 

As of Sept. 11, that is no longer the case. The recent visit (or perhaps a hefty NIL offer) has reportedly put the Jayhawks and Bill Self in the driver’s seat for the time being.

It would speak volumes to the incredible job Self has done on the recruiting trail if he could pry away a high-profile prospect from two prestigious in-state schools. 

Something worth noting is Louisville’s partnership with Adidas, the same company that Kansas is represented by. Perhaps Adidas has something to do with Kinney’s recruitment doing a complete 180, assuming it wanted him to attend a bigger basketball school like KU. That’s all speculation, though.

A lot of things can change in the next two weeks. However, fans should still feel somewhat confident heading into Kinney’s decision day barring any unforeseen circumstances.