Is this 16 ppg scorer in the ACC a system fit for Mark Pope and Kentucky?

Mark Pope and his coaching staff are getting ready to start looking for talent in the transfer portal as it opens on April 7th. Many players have already announced that they plan to enter the portal when it opens, so Pope and his staff are already likely scouting these players.

One player that just hit the portal that Kentucky fans have shown interest in on social media is Notre Dame freshman wing Jalen Haralson. The 6’7 220-pound wing averaged 16.2 points per game to go with four rebounds and 2.6 assists per game.

Haralson was a McDonald’s All-American in 2025 and turned heads in his true freshman season in South Bend. While the 6’7 wing is clearly a really talented player, I am not convinced that he is a good system fit for Mark Pope. While Haralson shot an impressive 51.5% from the field this season, he also shot only 20% from three, and that was on only 25 total attempts.

Some are saying that Haralson could come in and play a role similar to Otega Oweh, but Oweh shot around 35% from three. I have said this offseason that I don’t want to gamble on players to improve their shooting, and that feels like a gamble that is going to be taken if the Wildcats take Haralson.

Haralson is an elite scorer, but to be a system fit in the Pope offense, a player has to at least be a threat from three. Mo Dioubate this season wasn’t much of a threat from deep, and this is why, in most games, he struggled on offense and clogged up the Kentucky offense.

Haralson has a ton of length and is adept at attacking the paint from the wing.

Very good ball handler for his size and is a great decision maker off the PnR.

Where does he end up next? 🤔🤔🤔 https://t.co/hAqaziWxEI pic.twitter.com/vslrfYeGsh
— The Portal Report (@ThePortalReport) April 2, 2026

I believe that Haralson is a really good player, and he is going to be a star at whatever school he ends up at next, but there is definitely some concern for me when it comes to his fit with Coach Pope and the Kentucky system. Fans seem to think he would be a good add via the portal, but the liability as a shooter makes him a one-dimensional player, and these players don’t often work in Pope’s system.

If Coach Pope were to reach out to Haralson, this would mean that he sees a way he could help this team because he does play the game with a lot of physicality and the Wildcats were lacking that a year ago. Pay attention to this name when the portal officially opens on the 7th, but I would be surprised to see Pope make a hard push.