Mark Pope was in to visit one of the best recruits in the 2026 class

Kentucky is on the recruiting trail, this time visiting a top high school prospect. After spending much of the offseason so far visiting and hosting a number of transfers to fill next season's roster, the staff has turned their attention back to a number of top prospects in the 2026 class. On Wednesday, Mark Pope and a couple of assistants went on the road to visit top-20 prospect Tay Kinney, who the staff has been familiar with since taking over last April.

Kinney is one of the best players in the 2026 class. A top-20 overall prospect, the 6-1 guard has really been making a name for himself in Atlanta playing for Overtime Elite. Kinney transferred to OTE after spending his first two years of high school in Kentucky with Newport, who he led to the KHSAA Sweet 16 and a 32-4 record in the 2023-24 season. Kinney knew going to OTE would be the best for his exposure, and it has really paid off. He has a number of other schools going after him including Alabama, Tennessee, Kansas, Auburn, Purdue, Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas State and Georgia.

In his time at Overtime Elite last season, Kinney averaged 20.1 points, 5.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game, shooting 55.6 percent overall and 33.3 percent from three-point range. His best game last season was a 30-point performance that included going a perfect 3-3 from deep. He ended the season with 11 20-point games out of 20 games played. He also had double-digits in every game.

Kinney is one of the more impressive guards in the class, and with him being a Kentucky native, Mark Pope knows he has to go hard after him. The head coach has made quite the impression of doing that so far.

Thank you @CoachMarkPope @JHart_1825 @Cody_Fueger for the in home visit!! pic.twitter.com/32jSrpfmDi
— Tay Kinney (@Taylen_0) April 23, 2025