Mark Pope has made Kentucky a top destination for elite transfer portal players

Kentucky will land an elite transfer portal class.

Mar 4, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope yells to his players during the first half against the LSU Tigers at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

When the transfer portal became more of a thing, John Calipari used it some toward the tail end of his time in Lexington, but he was more focused on five-star talent.

When Mark Pope was hired last offseason to be the head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats, he had to use the portal to put together his entire roster. Pope went on to explain that he intends to use the portal a lot but also wants to recruit some elite talent in the high school rankings.

Last season, many of the top players in the transfer portal didn't choose Kentucky as Pope needed to prove what he could do as a coach, and with his team in the Sweet 16, he has done just that.

Right now, Coach Pope and his staff are focused on getting ready for their matchup with Tennessee in the Sweet 16, but they are also starting to look for talent in the transfer portal.

After this season ends, a lot of the roster will be out of eligibility, and with only three players coming in from high school, Coach Pope will have a lot of adding to do via the portal.

This go-around, Coach Pope is going to bring in some of the top players in the portal compared to last season when some of these elite players seemed a bit hesitant.

Kentucky will put together an elite transfer portal class this offseason after Coach Pope proved what he could do with transfer players this season with his team in the Sweet 16.