UNC Five-Star Target Taylen Kinney Draws ACC Rival’s Attention Amid Busy Recruitment
Taylen Kinney, a highly coveted five-star point guard in the 2026 class, has been a top priority for the UNC basketball program for the past four months. Now, his recruitment is heating up even more.
The 6-foot-1 floor general from Newport, Kentucky—currently suiting up for Overtime Elite in Georgia—is set to take an official visit to Kentucky starting Tuesday. But despite having already received an offer from UNC back in late February, Kinney continues to attract attention from other major programs.
Most recently, he added another big-name suitor to his growing list: NC State. The Wolfpack, one of North Carolina’s fiercest ACC rivals, extended an offer earlier this week, as Kinney announced via Instagram—potentially adding more drama to the Tobacco Road recruiting scene.
Kinney has already made an official visit to Louisville and is showing no signs of slowing down his recruitment. According to 247Sports’ Adam Finkelstein, Kinney is “a scoring and playmaking lead guard” who excels at all three levels and has a slick handle that allows him to create space and get to his pull-up jumper or attack the paint.
Currently ranked No. 14 overall and the No. 1 point guard in the 2026 class by the 247Sports Composite, Kinney remains a central figure in UNC’s recruiting strategy. But with rivals now entering the race, his decision could become one of the most closely watched storylines of the cycle.
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