Today begins the most important week of Mark Pope's tenure at Kentucky

Mark Pope has to land some elite players via the transfer portal this week.

Mar 20, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope reacts 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

Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats are going to be looking to add a lot of talent to the 2026-27 roster this week. This is a week that some are calling the biggest week of Pope’s tenure in Lexington. Tyran Stokes, the #1 recruit in the 2026 class, Rob Wright III, the #4 player in the transfer portal, and Donnie Freeman, the #14 player in the portal, will all be on campus for visits.

Wright III averaged 18.1 points, 4.6 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game for BYU last season while shooting 46.7% from the field and 41% from three. Freeman averaged 16.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game for Syracuse while shooting 47.4% from the field and 30.2% from three.

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

Obviously, Stokes is the best player in the 2026 recruiting class and a player that just about everyone believes will be the first overall pick in the 2027 NBA Draft. All three of these players play different positions, and with all of the NIL money the Wildcats have, with most of last year's team leaving Kentucky, they could likely afford all three of their NIL packages.

Knowing how much money Kentucky spent on the 2025-26 roster, fans were frustrated that it didn’t seem to have that much talent. If Coach Pope is able to bring in these three players, a lack of talent isn’t something Big Blue Nation will have to worry about.

Mar 31, 2026; Glendale, AZ, USA; Tyran Stokes (4) during the McDonalds All American Boys Game at Desert Diamond Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Obviously, these three players will be on campus early this week but getting them on campus for a visit is only half of the battle. Coach Pope has to get the job done and land these elite players. Last year, Coach Pope had the Wildcats in a good spot with some very talented players, but they didn’t end up being Wildcats. This can’t be the same story, and that is why this is such an important week for Pope and the staff.

In the portal, it is very important to make sure that when players are visiting, they commit while on their visit. If the payers leave and head to a new visit, it more often than not is a bad sign. If Pope can land these three players and then add solid depth pieces around them, this could be a very special season of Kentucky basketball. Some of Big Blue Nation is concerned with Pope, but landing these players would have the entire fan base bought back in.