After his relatively hot start in the transfer portal, landing both Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins, Mark Pope's momentum has screeched to a halt. Kentucky, after pursuing transfer Donnie Freeman for weeks and apparently nearing a commitment, have officially lost out on the star forward.
According to Joe Tipton, Freeman - a former Syracuse Orange - will stay up north and join Rick Pitino and St. John's for the 2026-27 season. Kentucky remains without a starting-caliber power forward, and as a result of the Freeman sweepstakes, both the team's top targets are out of the picture.
Freeman, of course, because he went to play for Pitino; Sebastian Rancik was the other Pope preference, who went to Florida State after Kentucky apparently pushed all their chips in on Freeman. It's a double miss, then, and one that may dearly cost the Wildcats next season unless Pope and his staff figure something out, and fast.
A Dire Recruiting Miss
Losing out on top transfer guard Rob Wright was one thing, but once Kentucky secured the aforementioned Diallo in his wake, the BBN was quick to forget that the BYU guard seemed to be signed and sealed in Lexington.
But "whiffing" on Freeman is different; partly because Kentucky remains with no option at the position, and partly because, again, the staff sacrificed their other go-to option to try and go all in on Freeman. It was a seriously high-stakes gamble that didn't at all pay off.
And now, while the Wildcats will certainly pivot, it's unclear if the team will come close to what Freeman was set to bring to the lineup. Mark Pope needs a portal miracle to recover his frontcourt.
Needing a Transfer Portal Miracle
Although, given that today is the final day for any new transfer entry, it's likely that Kentucky's future power forward is already out there. He's likely being contacted by other programs, with big checks and promised roles flying across the table in droves.
That's to say that, whoever Kentucky ends up moving on, they'll have to do so fast. The luxury of time has officially been lost for a staff that has landed two commitment throughout the portal's entire active.
Those are strong, rock-solid commitments, sure, but the process that wrought them is an overlong one that Kentucky simply doesn't have time for anymore. A lot was lost in the chase for Freeman, and now Pope will have to do anything and everything to try and build an impactful roster without him.
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