Kentucky has named BYU coach Mark Pope as the successor for John Calipari, the school announced on Friday. Pope, a former Kentucky star who played under Rick Pitino from 1994-96, is returning to Lexington after five seasons at BYU. He will take over for Calipari, who spent the last 15 seasons with the Wildcats before accepting the head coaching job at Arkansas.
Calipari officially left Kentucky earlier in the week and quickly landed the Arkansas job. His departure has already impacted Kentucky’s roster and incoming recruiting class. The Wildcats, who had the No. 2 class in the 2024 cycle according to 247Sports, have seen several players decommit or request releases from their National Letter of Intent.
Pope will have a significant task ahead of him when he officially arrives at Kentucky. Star freshmen Justin Edwards and Rob Dillingham have declared for the NBA Draft, and key reserves Aaron Bradshaw and Adou Thiero have entered the transfer portal. The Wildcats are waiting on decisions from several other recruits as well.
Kentucky’s roster includes talented underclassmen like Reed Sheppard and D.J. Wagner, who are expected to be key contributors moving forward. Several players, including Dillingham, Bradshaw, and Thiero, are not expected to return to the team next season.
The new Kentucky coach will have the responsibility of keeping the highly-ranked 2024 recruiting class intact. Despite Calipari’s departure, the Wildcats have a strong incoming class headlined by players like Jayden Quaintance, Billy Richmond, Boogie Fland, and others. Pope will look to continue Kentucky’s recruiting success under his leadership.
