Kentucky 2025 target shares what makes Mark Pope such a special recruiter

Mark Pope won't have any issue recruiting as Kentucky's head coach.

Jan 23, 2024; Provo, Utah, USA; Brigham Young Cougars head coach Mark Pope reacts to a play against the Houston Cougars during the first half at Marriott Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports / Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

When Mitch Barnhart hired Mark Pope to be the next head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats, the X's and O's weren't the question surrounding the hire. The folks who had concerns with Pope were worried about his ability to recruit at a high level.

Coach Pope did an outstanding job recruiting the transfer portal, but now he will start recruiting the 2025 high school class. One recruit that Coach Pope is pushing hard after is in-state four-star center Malachi Moreno.

Moreno had this to say about Coach Pope after a recent game, "Coach Pope he understands how bigs play. I mean taking the time out of the day to meet with every single one of my family members that meant a lot. He contacted me the first day he got the job. That definitely shows he's here for business, and he wants me to play for him. I never really thought this was going to be a possibility for me, then I shot up, I grew, and then I realized, hey, you might be good at this."

Hearing this should make Big Blue Nation feel much better about Coach Pope's recruiting, as he is proving that he can build relationships. Building relationships is a huge part of recruiting, and knowing how personable Coach Pope is, it's no secret he is good at this.

Moreno is a player this Kentucky coaching staff needs to keep in state, and it sounds like that will become a reality if they keep recruiting the seven-footer hard.