Taylen Kinney Visiting Arkansas: Trouble for Kansas Basketball?

Taylen Kinney's recruitment will soon come to a close, but he will make one last visit before making his decision next week.

Dec 22, 2024; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self reacts to play against the Brown Bears during the second half at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Taylen Kinney is less than two weeks away from his decision day as the top-ranked point guard in the Class of 2026 looks to finalize his college choice.

At one point, Louisville and Kentucky were considered the two favorites to land him. But in the past couple of weeks, Kansas basketball has emerged as the top school in the race.

And on Tuesday, a new report broke about his recruitment that could signal another shift. According to sources from Rivals, the Overtime Elite product will be taking a trip to Fayetteville starting Wednesday, Sept. 17, to visit John Calipari and Arkansas, one of his six finalists.

Top-15 recruit Tay Kinney is taking an official visit to Arkansas beginning tomorrow, source tells @Rivals. https://t.co/bw6k17fHZl https://t.co/BrsP8sDNPP pic.twitter.com/k7fhTCxLaA

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) September 16, 2025

Another Change in Taylen Kinney's Recruitment?

Many recruiting insiders, including On3's Joe Tipton, were suggesting that Kinney to Kansas was almost considered a done deal.

Now he is unexpectedly taking one last trip to Arkansas, a school with a hefty NIL fund and a well-known history with head coach John Calipari. Should Jayhawk fans start worrying yet? It's difficult to say this early.

MORE: What a Taylen Kinney Commitment Would Mean for Kansas Basketball

Kinney could simply be doing his due diligence on one of his finalists, as he was already scheduled to visit Arkansas starting Sept. 26. Perhaps he just wants to gain a little more clarity before making his decision and did not want to wait until days before his commitment.

On the other hand, there were reports that the Arkansas visit might have been canceled altogether, so him rescheduling it may not be the best news for KU.

The 6-foot-2 point guard has spoken highly of Kansas basketball in the past. Here's what he had to say about his August visit to Lawrence in an interview with 247 Sports earlier this month:

"You know it was a good visit. That coaching staff is a great staff," Kinney said. "They just got Jacque Vaughn too. He's an NBA vet at the point guard. Then, Bill Self, his background pretty much speaks for itself."

"When I got there, Coach Self tossed me his keys, and he was basically like, 'This is yours next year,'" he continued. "We didn't get too much into it, but they showed highlights of other guards like Devonte' Graham and Frank Mason, and he showed me how they played and other guards that they've had that he just let rock out."

There is no way to know for sure what this means for the schools involved in his recruitment. On a positive note, this was not a visit scheduled out of nowhere, and there have not been any real signs that the Jayhawks have slipped from their position as the frontrunner.

Still, people know exactly what Calipari is capable of on the recruiting trail, as evidenced by what he showed during his Kentucky days.

Maybe this turns out to be a nothing burger, but it is certainly worth monitoring over the next few days once Kinney's trip to Fayetteville is complete.