John Calipari doesn’t offer scholarships to players until the summer leading up to their junior seasons, the start of the direct contact period. 2025 five-star guard Darryn Peterson became the first exception last August, earning an offer from Kentucky nearly a full year earlier than others in his class.
It wasn’t an insignificant gesture, a sign that the Wildcats are serious about landing the consensus top-10 prospect in the sophomore class.