Point guard Taylen Kinney is a clear Class of 2026 priority for Purdue

WESTFIELD — Purdue still has star point guard Braden Smith, but must already start preparing for what comes next at his position, one of the Boilermaker staff’s priorities in what will be a key 2026 recruiting class.

An early target: Newport (Ky.) junior-to-be Taylen Kinney.

The 6-foot-1, 170ish-pounder from the Cincinnati area fielded a Purdue offer in the fall during a football-weekend unofficial visit and has kept in contact with head coach Matt Painter and assistant P.J. Thompson ever since.

“They like how I pass,” Kinney said. “They’ve got their point guard now, Braden Smith, and they say I play pretty similar to him, being able to make shots and pass.

“They’re a great team. The way I play, I think I can fit in anywhere and make an impact.”

As a sophomore, Kinney led his Newport team to 32 wins, averaging 17-and-a-half points and making better than 41 percent of his threes.

Widely viewed as a four-star, top-100-level player in the 2026 class, Kinney also lists early offers from Tennessee, Illinois, Dayton, Xavier, Cincinnati, Indiana and Texas A&M, among others. Marquette, Notre Dame, Auburn, Duke and the new staffs at Louisville and West Virginia are among those he’s fielded interest from lately who’ll probably be watching him this spring as he works his way back from a hamstring injury that’s plagued him through the back end of winter.

Kinney looked fine at the Hoop Group’s Indiana Spring Jam this past weekend at the Pacers Athletic Center, looking quick and surprisingly physical for a point guard, making shots and acrobatic finishes at the rim (see video above).

More: Breaking down Taylen Kinney

As things stand now, Purdue figures to have at least four scholarships to fill for the 2026 class, as Smith, Fletcher Loyer, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Brian Waddell would be slated to be seniors in 2025.

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