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The Kentucky Wildcats have issued a new offer in the Class of 2022.
According to Jake Weingarten, Kentucky has offered a scholarship to four-star center Kyle Filipowski.
Kentucky just offered Top-35 rising senior Kyle Filipowski, he told @Stockrisers. The UK staff got multiple looks at him during Peach Jam and now offer one of 2021’s breakout stars.
— Jake (@jakeweingarten) July 19, 2021
Filipowski has since confirmed the offer.
Ranked as high as 20th by ESPN, Filipowski plays at Wilbraham & Monson Academy in Massachusetts. He’s ranked 33rd nationally by 247 Sports Composite and holds offers from Duke, UCLA, Louisville, Indiana, Ohio State, and Michigan among others.
To this point, Duke has been viewed as the heavy favorite for the 6-foot-11, 230-pound Filipowski. The Blue Devils currently hold all six 247 Crystal Ball and both Rivals FutureCast predictions.
If John Calipari is willing to offer a scholarship, you have to think he believes Kentucky can unseat Duke as the top school, especially with Coach K heading off into the sunset before Filipowski arrives at a college campus.
While it remains to be seen where the Wildcats stand with Filipowski, there’s a growing belief they’re the favorites for fellow 2022 center Dereck Lively.
Ranked as high as third overall by 247 Sports (seventh via 247 Sports Composite), Lively scored an offer from Kentucky during his official visit to Lexington in June. Since then, the Wildcats have picked up two recruiting predictions for Lively, including one today from Rivals reporter Travis Graf. The other was from 247 Sports reporter Chris Fisher.
A 7-footer from Pennsylvania by way of Westtown School, Lively has already had official visits to Kentucky, North Carolina and Duke. He has offers from all three schools in addition to Michigan, Florida State, USC and Memphis among others.
Lively recently told KSR that a decision may not come until the spring, which is probably good news for a Kentucky frontcourt that currently has Daimion Collins, Bryce Hopkins, Keion Brooks, Jacob Toppin, Lance Ware and Oscar Tshiebwe. Lively may want to wait until several of those guys have likely moved on to the pros by next spring.
For what it’s worth, Lively plays on the same AAU team as Jalen Duren, who’s widely expected to reclassify into 2021 and appears to be Kentucky’s last option for adding to its 2021-22 roster.
Check out some recent highlights of Lively at the Nike Peach Jam, which continues later this week.
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