Grading Mark Pope's performance so far as Kentucky's head basketball coach

How has Mark Pope done so far as Kentucky's coach?

University of Kentucky’s new men’s basketball coach Mark Pope applauds as Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart introduces him to the thousands of fans in Rupp Arena for his press conference on Sunday, April 14, 2024. / Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY

During a very interesting offseason for the Kentucky Wildcats, John Calipari left to be Arkansas's head coach, which left a vacancy in Lexington. That vacancy was filled by former BYU coach Mark Pope. This was an exciting hire for Kentucky as Pope was a player for Kentucky and won a National Championship under Coach Rick Pitino.

Coach Pope has been the head coach in Lexington for a few months now, and the question is, what grade does he deserve for the job he has done so far?

When Coach Pope was hired, every player from last year's Kentucky team was gone, and only one player in the 2024 class stuck with Kentucky. This meant Coach Pope had a lot of work to do to be able to put five players on the court come November.

Coach Pope hit the transfer portal hard, landing some elite players, and now this team looks like one that will be ranked in the top 25 heading into the 2024-25 season.

When it comes to high school recruiting, Coach Pope held onto Travis Perry and landed Trent Noah in the 2024 class. He is now recruiting for the 2025 class, and all signs point to him landing some of the top players in the class.

So far, the job Coach Pope has done as Kentucky's coach has earned him an A, but if he starts landing some solid players in the 2025 class, that A will turn into an A+. Big Blue Nation is behind Coach Pope and believes he is going to do an outstanding job.