Mark Pope opens up about what the recruiting process is like at Kentucky

Pope knows how important finding the right players is at a place like Kentucky.

Jan 7, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope on the sidelines against the Georgia Bulldogs during the first half at Stegeman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Kentucky head coach Mark Pope is known to be a very hard worker, not just on or off the court with his current team, but on the recruiting trail, too. Pope and the staff have solidified themselves in a good spot with a number of 2026 recruits and beyond. The head coach opened up on what the recruiting process is like with recruits at a big brand like Kentucky.

So much has changed from year one to year two with Pope on the recruiting trail, as he was brand-new to the Kentucky job last spring and summer when shoe circuits ramped up, but this year, it seems like he is gaining more and more trust from various recruits as he continues building relationships. The head coach also believes in a methodical plan in which it's not about just getting the best of the best, but finding players that fits what Kentucky is about. He talked about in-depth and opened up on what exactly the recruiting process is like.

"I think the process is even more fun than it's ever been," Pope told media on Monday. "I'll continue to say that the most important part of this process for us is not finding the best, highest ranked player. You'd be shocked at how many times we end up mutually walking away because we know what Kentucky is, and finding the right player here, it doesn't amount to the sum of just going to find the whoever someone is ranking the highest player. ...The most important thing is that you get to know each other and understand like what is really driving a player, and a player needs to understand what's really driving a program. And it's not about, for me, at least the way we want to do it here in Kentucky, it's not just about ignoring that part and just grabbing the right talent."

Pope believes that this year's Kentucky team really fits the mold perfectly of what he is looking for in a player. At many other schools, this team's depth could become a locker room problem, but Pope has found players who understand what playing at Kentucky means, playing for the name on the front of the jersey, and how they have to be a team driven together to find success.

"I'm telling you, our locker room could be really complicated right now, and there will be times this season where it is but man, the heart of this deal is a bunch of really incredibly special guys that it may be challenging for some programs to have a group of guys where, representing this university, representing the people of the Commonwealth, representing this Kentucky name, where that's secondary, It's not with our group, man, and that means something."

Mark Pope is certainly doing a really good job of getting his point across to recruits about playing for the Kentucky brand, and given his position with a number of recruits in the 2026 class alone, like the #1 player in the class, Tyran Stokes, who Kentucky is a top contender for, could pay off soon.