Mark Pope will likely make a second run at an SEC guard in the transfer portal

Mark Pope has one position that he needs to make sure he dominates in the transfer portal, and that is point guard. During Pope’s two seasons in Lexington, the point guard position is one that has been riddled with injuries and not enough depth.

In both seasons, Coach Pope has had to move players who were naturally more of a two guard to the one position to help, as the point guards were all banged up. This is why it is so important that Pope knocks the point guard position out of the ballpark this offseason in the portal.

A familiar face to Kentucky fans just announced his intention to hit the portal when it opens on the 7th of April. That player is LSU point guard Dedan Thomas Jr., who averaged 15.3 points per game before going down with an injury. Thomas Jr. only played in 16 games this season with an injury, but put up some really good numbers in those games.

Jan 20, 2026; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Louisiana State Tigers guard Dedan Thomas Jr. (11) drives to the basket past Florida Gators guard Xaivian Lee (1) during the first half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

On top of the 15.3 points Thomas Jr. averaged, he also averaged 6.5 assists and 2.7 rebounds. Thomas Jr. is a great passer who would be an excellent point guard for the Wildcats, plus he has now proved that he can put up good numbers in the SEC.

This staff made a run at Thomas Jr. last offseason when he was looking for a new school coming from UNLV. Thomas Jr. ended up picking LSU, which was quite frustrating to Kentucky fans because he is a special player. Pope has also talked about liking left-handed guards based on the system they wanted to run last season, and Thomas Jr. is left-handed.

LSU's Dedan Thomas Jr. (11) drives the lane against DePaul during the Emerald Coast Classic championship game at Raider Arena in Niceville, Fla., Nov. 29, 2025. The Tigers won the contest 96-63. (Tyler Orsburn/News Herald) | Tyler Orsburn/News Herald / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Obviously, knowing that Coach Pope and the staff had a ton of interest the first go around, you figure that Coach Pope would make another run a Thomas Jr. in the portal this cycle. Coach Pope talked on his radio show on Monday about wanting “creators.” These are players who can create shots for teammates and themselves. Thomas Jr. is an elite creator, which is why Big Blue Nation would love to see him in Lexington.

I expect Thomas Jr. to be one of the first phone calls this staff makes when the portal opens here in a few weeks. Point guard is going to be the number one priority for the staff in the portal, and the connection is already there with Thomas Jr. The veteran point guard would fit right into the Pope system and would have an exceptional year in Lexington.