The Jayhawks are on the hunt for the No. 1 point guard in the class of 2026 and are competing alongside powerhouse programs, such as Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, and Oregon, to land five-star PG Tay Kinney.
Most recently, On3 and Rivals basketball recruiting expert Joe Tipton logged a prediction that Kinney would commit to the Kansas Jayhawks over the 30 other programs that had extended an offer in his direction.
Kinney is from Kentucky but plays basketball for Overtime Elite in Atlanta, GA. He received offers from his home-state teams, the Kentucky and Louisville Cardinals.
Before leaving Kentucky, he averaged 13.9 points, 4.6 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game as a high school freshman. Since then, he has only improved his game while playing for Overtime Elite.
Tay Kinney Overtime Elite season stats
- 20.1 points per game
- 5.0 assists per game
- 4.0 rebounds per game
- 2.3 steals per game
Kinney is known for being a threat on both ends of the court, shooting nearly 56 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc, as well as being extremely talented with his hands on the defensive side of the ball.
Earlier this year, Kinney shared that he would announce his commitment on Sept. 28, just over two weeks after Kipton shared his expert prediction.
With Tipton's prediction, the Jayhawks and head coach Bill Self absolutely took a step in the right direction when it comes to landing Kinney's commitment in the next few weeks. So far, Self has yet to land a recruit from the upcoming class but has extended a resounding 35 offers to various blue-chip prospects.
Last year, Self was only able to secure the No. 16 recruiting class in the country, but did land the No. 1 recruit in the nation: Darryn Peterson, who is already excelling for the Jayhawks, months before they actually play.