5-Star PG Taylen Kinney Commits to Kansas Over Kentucky, Louisville, More

Kansas landed one of the top prospects in the class of 2026 on Saturday.

On Sunday, 5-star point guard Taylen Kinney announced that he's committed to play for the Jayhawks over Indiana, Arkansas, Oregon, Louisville and Kentucky.

Kinney said his connection with Kansas head coach Bill Self helped make his decision easy, as Self told him that he would be the No. 1 option for the Jayhawks when he steps on campus in 2026.

Kinney is considered to be a 5-star prospect by 247Sports' Composite Rankings. He's also listed as the No. 17 overall prospect, the No. 2 point guard nationally and the top player out of the state of Georgia.

Kinney is from Newport, Kentucky, just south of Louisville, though he plays for Overtime Elite in Atlanta. According to Overtime Elite's website, Kinney averaged 20.1 points, 5.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game last season.

Per 247Sports' Travis Branham, Kinney narrowed his list down to Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville and Oregon this week, cutting Texas and Miami from his top schools. He had visits with all of his top schools over the past few months, most recently with Arkansas in September.

Landing a commitment like Kinney is huge for Kansas after the way the past few seasons have gone for Self's squad.

The Jayhawks, who won a national title during the 2021-22 campaign, haven't made it out of the second round since their championship, and were a first-round exit last year.

Self is always going to be able to recruit the best players, but whether he can right the ship in Lawrence is the question.