It was a two-sport haul for the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday, and BBN’s timeline could barely keep up.
Mark Pope landed a veteran big from the Big Ten in Washington center Frank Kepnang, and Will Stein kept his recruiting heater going by reeling in 4-star pass-catcher Iveon Lewis out of Virginia.
Here’s a quick look at both, plus how the fans are reacting.
Franck Kepnang Brings Rim Protection to UK
The 6-foot-11, 250-pound center announced his commitment on Instagram, with Kentucky making it official shortly after. The Cameroon native spent last season at Washington after starting his career at Oregon, and he was one of the Big Ten’s premier shot-blockers when healthy. He appeared in 27 games this past season, starting 25, and ranked third in the Big Ten in blocks per game at 2.07, while averaging 6.1 points and 6.3 rebounds.
The wrinkle: Kepnang will need a waiver for a seventh year. Knee injuries limited him to just eight, 10, and 14 games across three earlier seasons, and most observers feel that medical history makes the waiver likely to clear.
Iveon Lewis Keeps Will Stein’s Run Rolling
Over on the football side, Will Stein just keeps stacking 4-stars, the latest being Iveon Lewis, a 6-foot-2 wide receiver out of Huguenot High School in Richmond, Virginia. He picked Kentucky while holding offers from Georgia, Indiana, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Virginia Tech, and Notre Dame, among many others.
Lewis is the No. 5 overall prospect in Virginia and ranked inside the top 250 nationally for the 2027 class at Rivals, with the production to match. He went for over 1,000 yards in each of his last two high school seasons, earning First Team All-State honors as a junior, and averages nearly 25 yards a catch.
He pairs perfectly with high 4-star QB Jake Nawrot, already in the 2027 class. Stein has his quarterback and now his X receiver, and he won this one in Virginia Tech’s backyard.
Two sports. One Saturday. A veteran rim protector for Mark Pope, and a 4-star big-play receiver for Will Stein.
BBN got fed today, and based on the Twitter reactions, they’re still hungry for more good news this month.
