Former Newport standout Taylen Kinney continues to be near the top of the nationwide basketball recruiting rankings for the Class of 2026.
Depending on what recruiting service you go to, Kinney is ranked anywhere from No. 14-21. He has courted nearly 40 offers, one of the most recent ones being from the University of North Carolina. Recently, University of Kentucky coach Mark Pope made an in-home visit.
As he enters his senior year, Kinney will have his choice of where he wants to continue his basketball and academic career.
In December, he trimmed his list down to 15 schools: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Cincinnati, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Louisville, Notre Dame, Oregon, Purdue, Tennessee and Xavier.
Last season, Kinney, a junior, transferred from Newport and played for prep school Overtime Elite in Atlanta for the RWE squad and paired up with Kentucky signee Jasper Johnson in the backcourt.
In his time at Newport from eighth grade through his sophomore year, Kinney scored 1,220 points with the Wildcats and helped guide them to back-to-back 9th Region titles and an All “A” state championship.
He’s currently playing for Wildcat Select in AAU this offseason.
