Mark Pope explains his approach to recruiting the 2027 class

Things are going a lot better for Mark Pope on the recruiting trail.

Oct 28, 2026; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope yells to his players during the first half against the UCF Knights at Rupp Arena Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last cycle, the 2026 recruiting class did not go well for Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats, but the staff is looking to turn things around this cycle. The first move Pope made was hiring Mo Williams to the staff. Obviously, Mo's son Mason has been a star on the floor for the Wildcats, but Mo has also been an elite recruiter for Kentucky.

Williams was able to help Coach Pope land his first player in the 2027 class, and that was five-star Ryan Hampton. Now fast forward to this week, and the Wildcats also landed five-star Cherif Millogo. Recruiting is going well for Pope and the Wildcats right now.

Nightrydas Ryan Hampton (8) moves past defenders during the Drive Nation and Nightrydas semifinal basketball game at the 2026 Nike Peach Jam in North Augusta, S.C., on Saturday, July 18, 2026. Drive Nation won 62-48 and will advance to the championship tomorrow. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

After the season opening win over the Manhattan Jaspers on Tuesday night Coach Pope was asked about his approach to recruiting this cycle and BBN will like his answer.

Here is what Coach Pope had to say about his approach to this recruiting cycle: "Every year is a unique recruiting cycle.  This is a unique recruiting cycle.  And so, we have been really active with the high school freshmen in the fall recruiting period.  But it’s got to be the right player, at the right time, at the right price.  And we are trying to be smart and disciplined without decision-making.  And I am really confident that we are going to end up exactly where we want to be.  We are being incredibly intentional about this.  I wish we could talk about everything we are doing with recruiting, but we can’t.  But I like where we are right now, and I like how we are going about it."

Nov 3, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope watches game play during the second half against the Manhattan Jaspers at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last cycle, recruiting did not go well for the Wildcats. They put all of their eggs in the Tyran Stokes basket and got burned. It sounds like there were a lot of recruits the Wildcats could have landed had they not gone all in on Stokes, but that is the move they made. It is clear that the staff is going about recruiting with another approach, and I do believe Coach Williams is a big part of this.

This cycle has already gone much better for Pope and the Wildcats as they are ranked inside the top ten with the commitments of Hampton and Millogo. I do feel that the staff is going to land one more big fish in this class before it is all said and done. Coach Pope has been on the ball so far in this cycle.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and YouTube for the latest news.