Kentucky head coach Mark Pope missed out on a highly touted recruit from the class of 2026 on Sunday afternoon as five-star point guard Taylen Kinney announced that he would be taking his talents to Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks.
Pope made extensive efforts to bring Kinney to Lexington, holding three different visits, including an official visit to campus, an in-home visit and a midnight visit, which is when a coach visits a recruit as soon as the in-person contact window opens up, demonstrating that they are all in on trying to sign them.
Kinney was so sought after and seen as such a program changer that Pope reportedly got into a “heated exchange” with Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey over the recruitment window rules when they were at Kinney’s house at the same time, according to KSR’s Jacob Polachek.
The 6-foot-2 Kentucky native averaged just over 20 points per game for Rod Wave Elite in the Overtime Elite League last season and is tabbed as the No. 13 player and No. 1 point guard in the nation, according to 247Sports, making this a tough pill for UK fans to swallow.
However, in a more positive light, Pope is still heavily involved with other 2026 five-star recruits, so the setback with Kinney is not the end of the road in acquiring elite prospects.
Currently, Pope has sent out 19 offers – 11 of which are to five-star recruits – excluding Kinney and Jason Crowe Jr., who committed to Missouri.
Out of those 11 five-star offers, here are the top three that Pope should really zone in on bringing to the Bluegrass.
Tyran Stokes (Overall: No. 1, Position: No. 1, State: No. 1)
The biggest name Pope is looking to bring to Kentucky is Tyran Stokes, a 6-foot-7 small forward from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, Calif.
Pope can be all in on Stokes as much as he wants; however, the five-star recruit is the No. 1 overall player in the country, making things much more challenging as every team would love to welcome him to its program.
Stokes has more than 25 offers from different schools and is also being recruited by juggernaut programs such as Kansas, Alabama and North Carolina.
“Stokes is the most talented prospect in the national class and a unique matchup for opposing defenders. At 6-foot-7 and 230 pounds with a 7-foot wingspan, he’s powerful, long and explosively athletic,” Adam Finkelstein of 247Sports said.
Jordan Smith (Overall: No. 2, Position: No. 1, State: No. 1)
Next up is Jordan Smith, a 6-foot-2 shooting guard out of Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly, Virginia, the No. 2 overall player and the No. 1 combo guard in the country.
In the Nike EYBL League, playing for Team Takeover, Smith averaged 19.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.1 steals and 1 block per game, showcasing his abilities and raw talent against some of the nation’s most talented prospects.
Smith is getting heavily recruited by numerous schools, but, at this time, he has only taken four official campus visits to Kentucky, Arkansas, Duke and Louisville.
“The Paul VI and Team Takeover guard has terrific physical tools and even better competitive intangibles that allow him to change the game on both ends of the floor,” Finkelstein said.
Caleb Holt (Overall: No. 5, Position: No. 1, State: No. 1)
Caleb Holt is the No. 1 shooting guard in the nation, currently playing for Prolific Prep in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He stands at 6-foot-5 and offers a tremendous amount of length.
Pope offered Holt in July 2024 and has stayed persistent with him since. Holt recently made a visit to Lexington from Sept. 5-7, alongside Maximo Adams, a four-star recruit from Sierra Canyon in California.
“He’s competitive, plays hard, and imposes his will on both ends of the floor,” Finkelstein said. “He also has good perimeter size at 6-foot-5-plus with a 6-foot-9 wingspan.”
Holt is also being heavily pursued by Alabama, Auburn, Arizona, and others.
Missing out on Kinney is not ideal, but it isn’t the worst-case scenario for Kentucky. There are still plenty of talented prospects in the class of 2026, and Pope is more than likely to land at least one of them.