This 2026 five-star sharpshooting PF was made in a lab for Mark Pope's offense

Mark Pope has to land this elite 2026 five-star sharpshooting power forward.

Mar 7, 2020; Greenville, SC, USA; The Kentucky Wildcats mascot dances during the second half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports / Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Recruiting takes a lot of planning, so as a coaching staff, you have to get ahead of the future classes, and Mark Pope is doing that with the 2026 class. Recruiting is all about building relationships with players, so you have to contact players early in the cycle.

One player who Coach Pope just offered in the 2026 class is 6'10 power forward Miikka Muurinen. He is ranked as a top ten player in On3's rankings of the 2026 class but some other outlets haven't quite caught up. After watching the tape on Muurinen, it is very clear that he will be a consensus five-star in the 2026 class when all is said and done.

Muurinen recently played at Nike's Pearl Jam and had an excellent showing. He averaged 17.8 points per game while playing in Pearl Jam and was one of the top performers. The 6'10 sharpshooter went 14-28 from three during his time at Pearl Jam, and the shooting form is incredible.

Muurinen is also starting to pick up some offers from big-time schools on top of Kentucky, like Duke, Michigan, and Alabama recently offered the power forward from Finland.

He is a perfect fit for Coach Pope's offense as he is a big man who can pass the ball and also shoot. It's great to see that Coach Pope is getting ahead of things in the 2026 class. Hopefully, the Kentucky coaching staff will be able to land some elite players in the 2026 class, which will lead to a top-ten class.