Mark Pope made his name in the transfer portal pretty much as soon as he put on his first blue and white zip-up. Given his late hiring in 2024, the first team he coached at Kentucky waa built on sticks and glue out of what was left in the portal.
Pope has since managed to broaden his horizons, landing his first five-star high school recruit, Ryan Hampton, this offseason. But until the 2027 season at least, the Wildcats remain built on the transfer portal, and this year's team represents Coach Pope's biggest strides therein yet.
One simple statistic tells the entire story of recruiting improvement: Kentucky is one of only four schools nationwide with three top 50 players out of the transfer portal. That's excellence, no matter the specific numbers... but it helps that Milan Momcilovic is the No. 2 guy overall.
Elite pieces to the puzzle 🧩📈 pic.twitter.com/QEwUfwNjKa
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) July 9, 2026
In addition to Momcilovic's silver-medal spot, per 247Sports, point guard Zoom Diallo comes in at No. 26, and two-guard Alex Wilkins at No. 41. The other three schools on the list are Tennessee, Indiana, and North Carolina.
Not bad company, to say the least. Mark Pope has built his most capable Kentucky team yet, and once again, he's done it almost entirely out of the growingly volatile transfer portal.
Pope's Most Capable Kentucky Team Yet
And while Momcilovic, Diallo, and Wilkins may be the headlining additions, anything I tell you about those guys will go to the same bank of information that has been fueling their hype for months now. Momcilovic is the best three-point shooter in the nation, Diallo is shaping up to be the vocal leader any great team needs, and Wilkins has early shades of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
But what about the rest of our transfers?
Someone like Justin McBride is shaping up to be a crucial pickup. His 40% clip from lange as James Madison's go-to guy last season should translate perfectly to his expected spot in Kentucky's secondary rotation. A spark plug off the bench that can score at any level? We'll take that.
Franck Kepnang, too, is stepping into a crucial role. As Malachi Moreno's lone backup five-man, seventh-year Kepnang is expected to both spell his foul trouble and simultaneously get used to treacherous SEC waters immediately upon being thrown in. Yet, coming off a season in which he averaged two blocks per contest, I'd say he has the tools to succeed in that spot.
This is all assuming good health (fingers crossed), but from the perspective of someone not taking part in summer practice, this is a Cats team that has the potential to be great. It starts with a rare, three-man combination at the center, and is built on tested experience from there on out.
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