Mark Pope has clearly taken a methodical approach to Kentucky's final roster spot, evidenced by Kentucky not having made significant noise in any one player's direction. In the ongoing case of transfer Jaxon Kohler, Kentucky may have to move soon. Pat Kelsey and Louisville are reportedly moving on one of the most common names tied to Pope's last scholarship.
Per Jon Rothstein, Kohler has added the Cardinals to his list of teams with expressed interest. In addition to Kentucky, the initial group was also composed of BYU and Kansas. It's been a blue blood battle from the beginning, but a red wave has come downstream.
Interestingly, it was just last week that Louisville fans were dunking on the Wildcats for being on the hunt for a late-offseason pickup. Now, not only did the cards land transfer guard Seth Trimble, but it seems that Louisville has entered the picture for another one of the biggest names on the market. Kelsey is at least making a relative push for Kohler as his recruitment goes on.
Jaxon Kohler tells me that he's now also receiving interest from Louisville. https://t.co/wImHtpApv2
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) August 11, 2026
Kentucky's List of Recruiting Options Remains Fluid
For Kentucky, the list of options remains relatively fluid. Kohler is a major target without a doubt, but so is Mark Mitchell, who has slowly begun to pick up steam related to Lexington. Then again, so was Keyshawn Hall, before the noise around that All-SEC name seemed to quiet altogether. These things can change in no time at all.
Hence Kelsey entering this race in the first place. It's hard not to like a 39% three-point shooter who can stretch out the four position and has four years of experience under Tom Izzo at Michigan State. Then again, isn't that why Louisville went out and paid Alvaro Folgueiras?
None of us can pretend to understand our rival's ways, but one way or another, Kelsey has put a share of pressure on Pope here. Kentucky can't wait much longer to make a decision.
Mark Pope Will Have to Make a Transfer Portal Decision Soon
As far as fit goes, both Mitchell and Kohler make sense. Each have the physical stature and scoring ability to fit comfortably in at the Cats' power forward spot, and either would compliment Milan Momcilovic well on the wing.
It's hard to nail down the likelihood of one or the other landing in Lexington at this point. Kohler's father did take to social media to help the Big Blue Nation swing at Tennessee fans. For what it's worth, he's already a favorite on big blue social media.
Two things are clear: One, Mark Pope is actively pushing for a fifth-year senior to finalize Kentucky's roster. Two, Pat Kelsey isn't afraid to meddle in Kentucky's affairs on the recruiting front, even when his own team may not obviously benefit from the move.
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