Two weeks ago, Kentucky coach Mark Stoops reached into his pocket and extended an offer to one of the top-ranked inside linebackers from the 2018 recruiting class in Fairfield High School’s (Fairfield, Oh.) Malik Vann.

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Vann, who stands at a formidable 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, could be considered an athlete on the rise. Over the last few months, he has received offers from Cincinnati, Louisville, Maryland, Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Michigan State, and the Wildcats. That number is expected to skyrocket throughout the rest of his recruiting process, as he’s recently taken visits to Michigan and Ohio State with real interest from the Big Ten powerhouses.

Regardless of the increased amount of attention — with plenty more to come — Vann says that Kentucky is near the top of his list at the moment. In fact, the Wildcats are “second only behind Michigan State.”

“It’s huge considering it’s my first SEC offer,” Vann told Saturday Down South. “Getting to play top talent every week in arguably the best conference makes it better.”

According to 247Sports, Vann is a 4-star prospect and the No. 6 overall player at his position in the ’18 class. He took an unofficial visit to Lexington back in late March and is excited to go back when he watches the team play a regular season game this fall.

Vann explained that the reason he has Kentucky so far high on his radar is the “honest” relationship the coaching staff has with their players and how everyone made him feel right at home.

“How comfortable I feel there around the players and coaches [is what’s most important]. And how comfortable I feel just being on campus,” said Vann. “That’s one thing that definitely put Kentucky apart from some other schools is that I just felt comfortable.”

Though it’s only the first offer coming from an SEC program for Vann, the first-team all-Greater Miami Conference stud also hopes to hear from Ole Miss and Georgia before it’s all said and done.