With the court ruling here are three transfer portal players Mark Pope should contact

A new pool of players has opened up for Mark Pope to add as the 15th man.

Mar 11, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Cade Tyson (10) shoots a free throw against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A judge in Colorado has ruled that all college players who graduated high school in the 2022 class and used all of their eligibility over the past four years can have another year of eligibility. It is going to be interesting to see if this holds up, but for now all of those players can return for one more year of college. An example of a player who this applies to is former Wildcat Denzel Aberdeen. He will use this extra year to finish his career where it started with Todd Golden and the Florida Gators.

Mark Pope has some needs to fill on his roster, and this is a big reason why he left the 15th spot vacant. He was waiting for this ruling, knowing there was a really good chance this exact situation would come to fruition. Pope already has a really good team, but this could give him a chance to add an elite player.

Let’s take a look at three players who make a ton of sense for Pope to add to the 2026-27 roster.

Three players Mark Pope and Kentucky should contact after the court ruling

Cade Tyson

Mar 7, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Cade Tyson (10) shoots over Northwestern Wildcats guard Jayden Reid (4) during the first half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A wing who can shoot the three ball at an elite clip is a want for Pope and the Kentucky staff. This is why Minnesota transfer Cade Tyson makes a ton of sense. At Minnesota, the 6’7 wing averaged 19.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and one steal per game. Tyson shot 41.7% from three on 5.4 attempts per game. Pope wants elite shooters, and Tyson makes a ton of sense for the Wildcats if Pope wants a wing, not a big man.

Mark Mitchell

Mar 20, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Missouri Tigers forward Mark Mitchell (25) drives to the basket \against the Miami (FL) Hurricanes during the second half during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

I believe that a four or five is what Pope is looking for with this spot, and Mark Mitchell is a player that makes sense. Last season at Missouri, he averaged 18.3 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per contest. He was one of the best scorers down low in college basketball, and he would be a really good frontcourt addition for Coach Pope. This one would be tough to get done, but if possible, it would be massive for Kentucky.

Cameron Corhen

Mar 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers forward Cameron Corhen (2) is stripped by Stanford Cardinal guard Ebuka Okorie (1) during the second half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cam Corhen is a player that BBN likely hasn’t heard of, but he was really good at Pitt last season. The 6’10 power forward averaged 13.6 points. 6.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and one steal per game for the Panthers. He also shot 36.8% from three, so he is a threat from outside. Knowing Pope really needs one more big man who can score and rebound, perhaps Corhen makes a lot of sense.

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