Mark Pope missed on Tyran Stokes - that much cannot be avoided. The undisputed No. 1 overall recruit in the class of 2026 was officially Kentucky's radar for nearly a year under Pope and his staff. At the end of the line, the star forward picked Bill Self Kansas over the Wildcats on live television.
That hurt the Kentucky faithful and, naturally, the foam fingers quickly turned to point at Coach Pope. Questions of his recruiting prowess (not for lack of trying) dominated the Cats' online sphere, even as the coach flew overseas to try and land another international prospect for next year's team.
All the while, Pope is taking next year's No. 1 prospect (per 247Sports) fishing. Read that again. Per Jack Pilgrim, Pope and assistant coach Mikhail McLean hit the pond with soon-to-be star forward CJ Rosser, with the former boasting a big blue bucket hat. More surprising? It might've worked.
CJ Rosser and the "Big Fish" Mentality
Pope has yet to land a true "big fish" during his time at Kentucky; whether that's got to due with the still-early nature of his tenure, or his actual ability to recruit, it's hard to be sure. Regardless, he took the mentality literally with the aforementioned Rosser.
"It means they continue to show up for me and try to get to know me off the court too," Rosser told KSR of the extravaganza. Whether or not he ends up at UK, the fishing trip clearly had the intended positive impact.
Although, by all means, Pope and his staff should go the extra mile to get this dude in the blue and white.
NEW -- Kentucky's Mark Pope and Mikhail McLean went fishing with '27 No. 1 recruit CJ Rosser on Tuesday
— Jack Pilgrim (@JackPilgrimKSR) April 29, 2026
"It means a lot that they continue to show up for me and try to get to know me off the court too," he told KSR.
STORY: https://t.co/0csx6faCy9 pic.twitter.com/OZFzD1MK8N
The five-star lengthy forward moves well, especially off-ball, and his athleticism promises offensive prowess wherever he eventually lands. Where the crown jewel of this year's class, in Stokes, may present a more refined package overall, Rosser's ceiling as a shot-making stretch big could be a more promising fit for Pope's system specifically.
Making Moves For the Future
On the whole, Pope has made it clear that his shortcomings in the class of 2026 will have little to no impact on his approach with the subsequent bunch.
Right before his in-home visit with Rosser, Pope also conducted a meeting with five-star forward Ryan Hampton in the same class. The Wildcats are hitting the recruiting trail with haste, both for the team that'll take Rupp this fall and the one that will come after.
Add us as a preferred source on Google