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Duke Bold Offer Sends 5-Star Recruitment Into Chaos

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Mathey Gibson | Last updated May 14, 2025 10:15 PM ET

What looked like a done deal for Kansas now finds itself in sudden disarray.

Dame Sarr, the five-star Italian wing long expected to commit to Bill Self and the Jayhawks, is suddenly trending in an entirely different direction.

After a strong visit to Kansas last week, insiders believed it was over.

“Sarr’s visit to KU last week went well,” wrote Michael Swain of 247Sports. “I'm told the financial numbers were agreed upon. I also heard Sarr indicated to KU that he intended to join the Jayhawks for the 2025-26 season.”

The only remaining step? Signing the documents.

“Once those were signed and things were formalized, an announcement was set to follow soon after,” Swain added.

But a surprise shift in the NBA Draft Combine quickly changed the tone.

With Cedric Coward’s draft stock now rising rapidly, it seems Duke sensed an opportunity to flip the script.

This was done weeks again in anticipation of Cedric Coward heading to @DukeMBB, That MAY be changing. In the meantime, here’s we saw in November & December. He’s a “3 and D” with a great back story. @coach_paint pic.twitter.com/a3g0CGW4Fj
— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) May 14, 2025

“As a result, Duke ramped things up with Sarr and came in with a strong offer,” Swain reported. “It now sounds like Sarr is expected to visit Duke, potentially early next week.”

Now, it's believed that the Blue Devils could close the deal if the visit goes well.

“The indications are that if the visit to Duke goes well, Sarr will commit to the Blue Devils,” Swain said.

It’s a major twist in a recruitment that once felt settled.

Kansas, coming off a rocky 21-13 season under Bill Self and an early NCAA exit, appeared poised to secure one of the best prospects in Europe.

Now, with Duke charging hard and the Jayhawks still without a signature, Sarr’s future is once again uncertain.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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