Pope is off to a scintillating start in his first full recruiting cycle as the Kentucky basketball coach.
After five-star combo guard (and UK legacy) Jasper Johnson committed Sept. 5 and joined Malachi Moreno, the Wildcats became the first school in the country to have a pair of consensus top-40 prospects in their 2025 class. And that’s the case regardless of the recruiting service one uses, be it Rivals or 247Sports, On3 or ESPN.
UK’s class is No. 2 nationally in the 247Sports Composite rankings and tops among SEC schools.
That Kentucky is so close to the pinnacle of the team rankings is nothing new: Former coach John Calipari made that a habit during his 15-year stint in Lexington. Now at Arkansas, Calipari’s time at UK saw him sign the nation’s top-ranked class in the 247Sports Composite rankings eight times: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2020 and 2023.
Under Calipari, the Wildcats finished among the top-two classes every year but one: In 2022, they were No. 5.
After Pope took over in April, UK’s 2024 class finished No. 45 nationally, a two-member haul featuring a pair of in-state superstars: Travis Perry (of Lyon County) and Trent Noah (of Harlan County).
Even if the Wildcats fail to land another commitment in 2025, it appears this year’s class will finish far higher in the rankings than 2024.
Moreno, who stars for Great Crossing High in Georgetown, got the ball rolling Aug. 16 when he became UK’s first 2025 commit. Johnson joined less than a month later, announcing his commitment during a ceremony at his former high school, Woodford County.