Mark Pope and Kentucky have officially missed on PG Rob Wright III

The point guard search continues for Mark Pope and Kentucky.

Feb 24, 2026; Provo, Utah, USA; BYU Cougars guard Robert Wright III (1) dribbles the ball during the first half against the UCF Knights at Marriott Center. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Baker-Imagn Images | Aaron Baker-Imagn Images

There was a ton of hype heading into this week as Mark Pope and the Kentucky coaching staff had a ton of important visits scheduled, and one of those important visits was with BYU point guard Rob Wright III. Obviously, point guard was a very important part of the offseason as Pope had to try to fix this position that has been a problem during his entire tenure.

Heading into Wright’s visit, many thought the Wildcats were going to land the top five player in the portal, but the visit just didn’t seem to go well. All of the hype saying Kentucky was in a good spot with Wright III was gone, and now he has made a decision.

Mar 19, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; BYU Cougars guard Robert Wright III (1) shoots against Texas Longhorns guard Tramon Mark (12) in the first half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Wright III will be pulling his name out of the transfer portal and returning to BYU for another season. Wright III will play alongside former Kentucky guard Collin Chandler, who recently announced that he will be heading home to play for the Cougars.

There is no way to sugarcoat the staff missing on Wright III. He is an elite player, and the Wildcats were the frontrunners to land him. He gets on campus, and Pope and the staff aren't able to get the job done, and now the search for a point guard continues.

Zoom Diallo is the name to watch now for Kentucky. The Washington point guard was on campus for a visit this weekend, where Coach Pope took him to Keeneland. It sounds like Diallo wanted to come in and be the main guy at point guard, and this is why he didn’t commit on his visit.

Mar 11, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Washington Huskies guard Zoom Diallo (5) shoots a free throw against the Southern California Trojans during the overtime at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Now that Wright III will not be playing at Kentucky, there is a world where Diallo could commit soon, and he is still a very talented player. While fans might lean in the direction of Wright III as who they would have wanted, Diallo is capable of coming into Lexington and putting up really impressive numbers in the Pope system.

All eyes now turn to Diallo, and if he does not pick to play at Kentucky in the next day or so, things could look very concerning for Pope and the Wildcats. There are still some good point guards in the portal, but Wright III and Diallo have been the main targets for a while. Pope and all of Big Blue Nation are really hoping Diallo picks the Wildcats soon, or things could get scary.