KU Jayhawks sign 2, including 247Sports’ No. 1 PG, on 1st day of signing period
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- Kansas signed five-star point guard Taylen Kinney from Overtime Elite.
- KU added versatile wing Trent Perry and expects further signings from 2026 class.
- Kinney joins multiple Overtime Elite teammates, boosting KU guard depth in 2026-27.
Five-star point guard Taylen Kinney, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound high school senior from the Overtime Elite program in Atlanta, signed a national letter of intent with Kansas on Wednesday, the first day of the weeklong early signing period, coach Bill Self has announced.
Kinney is ranked No. 13 in the class of 2026 by 247Sports, No. 17 by ESPN and No. 25 by Rivals. He is ranked as the No. 1 point guard in the recruiting class of 2026 according to 247Sports.
“Taylen’s one of the best point guards in the country,” Self said Wednesday upon receipt of the letter of intent. “He’s a scoring point. He can shoot. He’s got great vision. He can create for himself and create for others. Taylen’s transition to college ball should be seamless. He’s prepared to run a college basketball team.”
Kinney will join three other Overtime Elite players on the current Kansas roster: Samis Calderon, Kohl Rosario and Bryson Tiller.
Kinney, who is from Newport, Kentucky, chose KU over Indiana, Kentucky, Arkansas, Louisville and Oregon.
Kinney averaged 20.1 points, 5.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game for RWE in the Overtime Elite League during the 2024-25 season. He finished as the second runner-up for OTE’s most valuable player award.
“Bill Self is a great coach, he’s got a great coaching staff — Jacque Vaughn (KU assistant) played in the league,” Kinney told The Star recently. “The skill development at guard would be top-level. I mean, it’s Kansas — a legendary program.”
KU as of Wednesday afternoon also announced the signing of Trent Perry, a 6-5, 190-pound senior shooting guard/small forward from Link Academy in Branson, Missouri (originally from Frisco, Texas). Perry is ranked No. 77 in the class of 2026 by ESPN, No. 119 by 247Sports and No. 140 by Rivals.
Prior to heading to Link Academy, Perry as a junior averaged 13.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 3.0 steals a game at Lone Star High in Texas.
“Trent is a winner,” Self said of Perry, who has a 7-2 wingspan. “He does a little bit of everything. He’s athletic. He’s got size. He’s a guy that can play multiple positions on the floor. I feel like when Trent is on your team, your team’s automatically better.”
Perry participated in training camp for the 2023 USA Men’s U16 National Team in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with USA Basketball. He played AAU basketball for Mokan Elite.
Of his own game, Perry said: “I like to get to the rim and have my defense translate into offense, really do whatever my team needs for me to win that game, that’s what I do. Practicing against the best players in the country at Link and then playing this national schedule, my whole game has improved. My IQ, my skill, my playmaking, everything has improved with my game.”
KU also is expected to announce the signing of Davion Adkins, a 6-foot-9, 205-pound senior power forward from Prolific Prep in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (originally from Dallas), and Luke Barnett, a 6-3, 170-pound senior guard from Mater Dei High in Santa Ana, California.
KU also has received a verbal commitment from Javon Bardwell, a 6-6, 175-pound junior forward from Overtime Elite (originally from Scottsdale, Arizona). He is considering reclassifying to the class of 2026.
