Mark Pope and Kentucky are looking to pull of a 5-star upset on the recruiting trail

Mark Pope landing five-star forward Ryan Hampton represented both his highest-rated commitment ever, as well as the best start he's had to a recruiting class yet at Kentucky. That, paired with the commitment of Milan Momcilovic for this season, had Big Blue Nation re-taking the side of their good-natured head coach.

Now, Pope and his staff are pressing ahead to secure a running mate for Hampton in the 2027-28 class. Per Joe Tipton and Rivals on X, the Wildcats have made the cut for five-star DeMarcus Henry. The Cats are far from the favorites for the No. 3 player in the class, but, for a time, that appeared to be the case with Hampton and Momcilovic, too.

Pope is playing spoiler in this case, as he looks to pull of a recruiting upset that would catapult the Cats 2027 class to the top of early rankings - higher than it already is, that is.

Hampton alone has Kentucky at No. 5 on 247Sports' 2027 class ranking; the Wildcats, even given how far off that season is, are already trending for their most impressive pool in years. Henry (6-foot-7) would likely slide Hampton (6-foot-6) down to the two spot, entering at the three and suiting Kentucky with another lethal scoring weapon.

DeMarcus Henry is a Lethal Scoring Weapon

The son of former Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry and the brother of Ohio State Buckeyes Football pass-catcher Chris Henry Jr., DeMarcus Henry shakes up the family mold a little with his excellence on the hardwood.

He's a shifty wing that boasts the ability to break defenders off the dribble. Henry plays a whole lot like Hampton and, being ranked a notch higher than him, would be improving on the makings of a lengthy, shot-creating group. Toss in a few returning guys - say, Zoom Diallo in the backcourt - and we've already got a positive outlook for 2027-28.

But that's all assuming Henry commits to Kentucky and, again, that's far from surefire at this current juncture in his recruitment.

A Far From Surefire Commitment

Not only is the aforementioned Ohio State an inherent possibility, given his family ties there, but with heavy-hitters like Kansas, Louisville, North Carolina, and UConn also still involved, it's impossible to get any kind of read on this one before Henry so much as takes a visit.

But if you're in it, you're in it, and Kentucky making the cut means this one is worth keeping an eye on from here on out,

No matter who Pope ulitmately ends up with in addition to Hampton in 2027, it's clear that he's not at all comfortable with coaching a team that struggles to score. Pope was brought on at Kentucky due to the high-flying offense he ran at BYU; it's past time that he play, and recruit, to his strengths.

Besides, the BBN saw enough of those offensive struggles last season to last a lifetime. Don't even get me started there.

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