Kentucky's Mark Pope is big game hunting early in the transfer portal

Mark Pope is going after the top players in the transfer portal.

Mar 20, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope looks on against the Santa Clara Broncos during the first half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

This is a massive offseason for the future of Mark Pope as the head basketball coach at the University of Kentucky, and step one will be knocking the transfer portal out of the park. Last season didn’t go as planned for the Kentucky Wildcats despite a ton of preseason expectations, and a big part of this is the fact that Coach Pope didn’t do a good job in the portal.

Pope and the staff whiffed on some players in the portal who went on to have elite seasons, while the Wildcats struggled all year long. Coach Pope was in the mix for many of the best transfers last cycle, but just wasn’t able to get the job done. That can’t happen this year, so Pope has to land some of the elite talent the portal has to offer.

Mar 19, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope speaks during an interview at the practice session ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images | Jeff Le-Imagn Images

While the portal has only been open for one day, Pope and his staff have once again gotten themselves involved with some of the best players in the portal. Pope put himself in this same position last season but just wasn’t able to win the recruiting battles. This has been a problem for his staff in high school and the portal, so Coach Pope has to change that narrative this year.

With Otega Oweh gone and many players hitting the portal, the Wildcats will be adding a bunch of players from the portal. The only member of the 2026 class is point guard Mason Williams, so unless Pope can land Tyran Stokes or Dink Pate, every player will come from the portal that hasn’t been retained.

Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope looks on after the game against the Iowa State Cyclones during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

Coach Pope had made coaching changes and had some tough conversations with players from last year's team who have hit the portal, which shows he understands how important this offseason is for his tenure in Lexington. If Pope can land an elite team in the portal and have a really good 2026-27 season that includes a deep tournament run, fans will be all the way bought back in.

Pope has himself in a similar spot so far in the portal to where Kentucky is in the mix for a lot of elite players, but now the keyword is “finish.” It is great that Pope is getting his foot in the door, but he has to go out and land these players. If Pope can land some of the names, he is meeting with fans can expect a really fun season next year. If he can’t, the program might be looking for a new coach next offseason.