Kentucky
Mark Pope on the cusp of MAJOR recruiting momentum before coaching a real game
The record books indicate Mark Pope hasn’t coached a game yet at Kentucky — his 71-point masterpiece against KWC didn’t count, unfortunately — but he’s already got the Wildcats rolling going into his first season in Lexington. There was plenty to love about the first exhibition win, just as there was in the Blue-White scrimmage, Big Blue Madness and Pro Day.
Oh, and how about those two big-time in-state recruiting wins he picked up in Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno — two top-25 prospects nationally? Yeah, that was a fun stretch, too.
Pope has nailed just about every move since he took the job back in April, starting with the coaching staff and roster through the preseason action with the real stuff just days away. A feel-good blowout this week vs. Minnesota State to close out the exhibition schedule would be welcomed, as well. But what about some added serious recruiting momentum before the first-year coach picks up what hopes to be his first win as a Wildcat?
That’s expected when four-star point guard Acaden Lewis, the No. 30 overall prospect and No. 5 at his position, makes his decision on November 2. He’ll be choosing between Kentucky, Duke, and UConn with the Wildcats given a 87.7 percent chance to land his commitment, according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine.
“They’re great people and really genuine,” Lewis told KSR+ following his official visit to Lexington, his last trip before making a decision. “They have a lot of knowledge with Coach [Alvin] Brooks and Coach [Jason] Hart, who have had a lot of great guards in the past. [Mark] Pope is a super cool dude. I met his wife and everyone. It’s a great staff and a great environment.”
Lewis’ addition would give the Wildcats three commitments ahead of the early signing period, likely pushing Kentucky back to the No. 1 spot in On3’s Team Recruiting Rankings — ahead of Duke and UConn.
That’s somewhat of a given at this point, though. The Wildcats have been seen as the overwhelming favorite to land Lewis for months now as Pope and his staff have worked to close it out over the nation’s top blue bloods. The four-star guard has been outspoken about teaming up with Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno, developing chemistry at various camps and national events this offseason. They’re very open to playing together and appear to be less than a week from officially doing so as pledges.
It’s what’s next, however, that could be next-level huge for Pope — and it’s reasonable, if not likely.
Remember all of that buzz in September about a potential package deal with Lewis and five-star forward Caleb Wilson to Kentucky? Yeah, that hasn’t slowed down in recent weeks and the first domino is about to fall toward that possibility, only making Lexington a more appealing destination for the latter.
Wilson is the No. 5 overall prospect and No. 2 power forward in the class of 2025, wildly versatile and skilled at 6-9, 205 pounds. One of the best defenders on the EYBL circuit this summer with major offensive upside, he’s a premium talent and an immediate game-changer for any recruiting class — particularly for Pope as he looks for his first non-local top-10 commitment at Kentucky. And as things stand today, the Wildcats are seen as the favorite, holding a 72.6 percent chance to land him in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine.
North Carolina is seen as Kentucky’s top competitor while Arkansas, Ohio State, Georgia Tech and Tennessee are among the others still pushing for his services. NIL is a major topic of conversation in his recruitment — as you’d expect for a player of his caliber — but all indications are that the Wildcats are a serious player in that department as they look to close on a commitment. He previously told KSR+ that he was targeting a November or December decision, meaning we’re inching closer to an announcement.
Can Pope seal the deal on all four? Getting the third publicly on board next Saturday will be a huge step in the right direction, allowing that trio and the entire Kentucky coaching staff to push their chips in on Wilson in the coming weeks.
Racking up the blowout wins with a free-flowing, run-and-gun offense won’t hurt in the meantime.
Power forward has been one of the positions that Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats have to fill with Andrija Jelavic and Mo Dioubate gone. The two players that Pope has had on campus at the power forward position are Syracuse’s Donnie Freeman and Colorado’s Sebastian Rancik. Both are really good players, but Freeman is better by a wide margin.
It has felt that entire time that Kentucky wanted Rancik as the backup to Freeman or a backup plan if they weren’t able to land Freeman. Well, Rancik just picked Florida State, so perhaps this is a sign that the Wildcats will land Freeman.
Big Blue Nation was torn on Rancik, but I do believe he would have been a really solid backup power forward. I personally didn’t want him to be the starting four for this team. It is clear that he wanted to go somewhere where he could be the guy at the four, so he will be heading to the ACC to play for FSU.
Now that Kentucky has missed on Rancik, it is very important that the Wildcats land Freeman soon. The problem with waiting on some of these players is the fact that the portal isn’t slowing down. If Pope targets two power forwards and misses on both of them, most of the good fours in the portal will be gone.
There will be some panic in Lexington if the Wildcats are not able to land Freeman, but I do believe the Wildcats are in a good spot to land the elite power forward. From the beginning, Freeman has been my top player for Kentucky in the portal, as he, plus Malachi Moreno, will give the Wildcats an elite frontcourt.
If Pope is able to land Freeman and Tyran Stokes to pair with Zoom Diallo, Alex Wilkins, Moreno, and Kam Williams, this could be the start of a really good team in Lexington. Hopefully, an announcement for where Freeman will transfer comes soon, and hopefully, this will be to play for Pope at Kentucky.
Fans of rival teams will say Pope “whiffed” on Rancik, but if this whiff was because the Wildcats are set to land Freeman soon, then it was more than worth it for Kentucky. If the Wildcats are able to land Freeman, it will officially be time for Big Blue Nation to start getting excited about the 2026-27 season. I expect a decision from Freeman to come within the next day or two.
Rancik would have been a solid backup four in Lexington but Freeman has been the guy from the beggining for this staff so if Kentucky lands him all is well. If the staff misses on Freeman not landing Rancik will look bad.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
Kentucky
Kentucky is poised to land either Donnie Freeman or Sebastian Rancik this weekend, per report
Jones posted on Twitter that “Kentucky will have (absent a major change) either Freeman or Rancik by tomorrow,” while also noting the Wildcats still need to add another shooter and another big to round out the roster.
One of the top targets is Donnie Freeman, a 6-foot-9, 205-pound sophomore forward transferring from Syracuse. Freeman arrived in Lexington on Tuesday night and began his visit on Wednesday before leaving without a commitment. While there was concern he could land at UConn, that visit has since been canceled, leaving Kentucky and St. John’s as the top teams.
Freeman averaged 16.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game last season, while adding nearly a block and a steal per contest. He shot 47.4% from the field but 30.2% from 3-point range across 23 games.
The other option is Sebastian Rancik, a 6-foot-11, 220-pound sophomore forward transferring from Colorado. Rancik visited Kentucky starting Wednesday through Thursday and brings a versatile skill set, averaging 12.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2 assists per game while shooting 33.1% from 3.
Either Freeman or Rancik would provide a significant boost at the power forward position for head coach Mark Pope. Kentucky has already added guards Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins in the portal.
Kentucky football coach Will Stein reflects on new position
Will Stein was officially introduced to fans and media as the head coach for the Kentucky Wildcats, replacing Mark Stoops.
LEXINGTON — Kentucky football had its first spring game under new coach Will Stein at Kroger Field on Saturday.
The offense, in blue jerseys, had its moments. So too the defense, donning white uniforms.
Ultimately, the blue squad earned a 23-18 victory in a game called just after noon because of inclement weather.
Stein admitted he “got emotional” as he charged onto the field prior to kickoff.
“I know it wasn’t a real game, but when I ran on the field, I definitely — man, I felt it,” he said. “It was like a wave running over me. And very, very, just cool.”
While it doesn’t count in the standings, Stein walked away pleased.
“I think we got a lot of really good work,” he said. “That’s the goal of spring is to improve with fundamentals and technique, learn how to practice, learn what winning edges that we need throughout spring to go into summer and fall and prepare the team for play. And we came out of the scrimmage clean. There (were) no injuries, which to me, that’s the biggest win of the day. I could (not) care less about the score.
“If we come out clean, that’s good. The Wildcats won.”
New starting QB Kenny Minchey looked about as expected, with sharp passes evened out by moments of inconsistency. Martels Carter Jr., a defensive back who is lining up at running back this spring, scored a touchdown and had several nice runs.
And the defense forced multiple three-and-outs and also picked off one Minchey pass on a two-point conversion.
This story will be updated.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
-
Culture3 minutes agoPoetry Challenge: Memorize “The More Loving One” by W.H. Auden
-
Lifestyle8 minutes agoPhotos: How overfishing in Southeast Asia is an ecological and human crisis
-
Technology21 minutes agoBlue Origin successfully reused its New Glenn rocket
-
World27 minutes agoDistress call captures tanker under fire, Iran shuts Hormuz trapping thousands of sailors
-
Politics33 minutes agoTrump ally diGenova tapped to lead DOJ probe into Brennan over Russia probe origins
-
Health39 minutes agoExperts reveal why ‘nonnamaxxing’ trend may improve mental, physical health
-
Sports45 minutes ago‘Demon’ Finn Balor settles score with Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania 42
-
Technology51 minutes agoiPhone and Samsung flashlight tricks you should know