Kentucky hires former BYU coach Mark Pope to replace John Calipari, see the change he as….
Before John Calipari decided he would leave for Arkansas, Kentucky basketball had the No. 2 recruiting class for 2024. However, five of the six players who signed in the Class of 2024 were released from their national letter of intent after Calipari jumped ship and new head coach Mark Pope is scrambling to put together a competitive Kentucky basketball roster for 2024-25. Only Travis Perry, a four-star out of Kentucky, has remained committed to the Wildcats from the Class of 2024, but Pope has already secured commitments from seven players in the college basketball transfer portal to join the Kentucky basketball lineup.
With zero scholarship players returning from last season’s team, Pope still has plenty of ground to cover in the high-school ranks and transfer portal. The portal is closed now, but those who entered it and remain uncommitted can still take visits while they make their decision and there are still unsigned high school prospects available that could become Kentucky basketball recruits. If you love the Wildcats, or just want the latest roster updates and college basketball transfer portal news, be sure to see what the proven team of insiders are saying at CatsPause, the 247Sports affiliate that covers Kentucky.
Consider this the white smoke: There is a new Pope, same as the old Pope, in Kentucky. The Wildcats, in a surprisingly quick move, have hired former UK player and former BYU coach Mark Pope to replace John Calipari as the program’s next basketball coach, the university announced Friday.
