Louisville basketball and Kentucky both recently whiffed on 5-star point guard and in-state superstar, Taylen Kinney. The nation’s No. 1 point guard ranks as high as No. 13 in the country, and despite being raised in Newport, Kentucky, both fans heavily recruiting him, and Mark Pope and Pat Kelsey getting in a “UFC fight” over him, Kinney committed to the Kansas Jayhawks this past Sunday.
With both in-state schools striking out on Kinney, their next point guard target in the 2026 class is crystal clear, and now the two rival schools are expected to pick it up a notch for one of the top rising stars in the 2026 cycle, Deron Rippey Jr.
Louisville has made it clear that they want him to be a Cardinal, but with Kentucky earning an official visit after Kinney didn’t commit to the Wildcats, the Cardinals must move quickly and make a move of their own if they want to stay in the recruiting race.
Louisville basketball must go all-in on 5-star Deron Rippey Jr.
Recently, both Louisville and Kentucky learned they made Rippey’s top 10, as they are in a recruiting battle with ACC giants Syracuse, North Carolina, Miami, North Carolina State, and Duke, with the other three teams being top 10 SEC powerhouses Alabama, Tennessee, and Texas…