When Mark Pope took the Kentucky job, there were two major boxes he needed to check. The first was the biggest: proving he could win in March. Before arriving in Lexington, Pope had never won an NCAA Tournament game. That changed quickly. His first season produced Kentucky’s best run since 2019 — a trip to the Sweet 16 that silenced doubts about his postseason ability and gave Big Blue Nation something to celebrate. Box one, checked.
The second box? Recruiting at the highest level. That one’s trickier.
At BYU, Pope’s best high school signee was Collin Chandler, a top-35 prospect who eventually wound up at Kentucky after a two-year mission. No McDonald’s All-Americans, no top-five recruits. When he came to UK, the expectation was clear: Kentucky is supposed to land the guys — the five-stars, the future NBA lottery picks.
To Pope’s credit, he’s already made noise. He landed Brandon Garrison from the portal — a former McDonald’s All-American and now one of the Wildcats’ cornerstones. He signed two top-30 recruits in Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno. He reeled in one of the top international prospects, Andrija Jelavic. And through the portal, he secured Jayden Quaintance, a player projected as a potential top-five NBA Draft pick.
Impressive as that is, there’s still one question lingering: When will Kentucky finally reel in that first top-five high school recruit under Pope?
The Staff’s Approach
According to assistant coach Mikhail McLean, Pope’s secret weapon is his natural charisma and relentless connection with players. “He FaceTimes nonstop,” McLean said. “He’s not just talking about basketball — he’ll joke with you, he’ll gas you up, he’ll connect on a personal level. Kids gravitate to him because it’s real.”
The Wildcats aren’t chasing names just for the sake of hype. Pope and his staff emphasize fit — talent, personality, and playing style — even if that means passing on higher-ranked prospects. Sometimes the so-called “big fish” isn’t the one fans are obsessing over.
And with a roster already stacked, the coaches believe some of this year’s players could become those stars everyone is waiting for.
The Big Picture
Kentucky has over a dozen committable offers out in the 2026 class, including to Tyran Stokes, the No. 1 overall player in the country. The opportunities are there, but Pope’s staff isn’t panicking.
“We might not have landed that high school five-star yet, but we’ve got guys who could be those ‘big fishes’ next year,” McLean said. “And we’re working our tails off to bring in the next one.”
The reality is, recruiting momentum takes time to build. But with Kentucky’s new identity, Sweet 16 success, and Pope’s relentless energy, the breakthrough feels inevitable.
For now, it’s exactly what McLean said: “We’ll wait and see.”
And if history has taught anything about Kentucky basketball, it’s this — Big Blue Nation rarely waits long to get what it wants.
