BBN is still buzzing about the commitment of 2027’s No. 2 quarterback, Jake Nawrot, but Will Stein isn't wasting time celebrating. Kentucky's already beloved head coach is pivoting back to the present: The 2026 class.
According to 247Sports, the nation’s No. 1 JUCO running back, Julius Pope, is set to visit Lexington later this month. For running backs coach Kolby Smith, it’s a reunion with a player he knows can play at the highest level of the SEC. How? Because he's already coached him.
Julius Pope’s journey to the top of the JUCO rankings began in Fayetteville, where the former four-star prospect (2024) originally signed with Arkansas as one of the top athletes in Mississippi. He was initially set to play linebacker, connecting with Smith before taking his talents elsewhere.
The Julius Pope-Arkansas connection
After a redshirt run in 2024 and a transfer in the following April, Pope took off to Northwest Mississippi C.C., where he proved he was more than potential-ridden linebacker prospect. In 2025, Pope had 576 yards on 96 carries, boasting six touchdowns in the process. He added another 312 yards and two scores through the air.
That sounds like a solid dual-threat option out of the backfield, to say the least.
Will Stein's Insurance Policy
While Kentucky’s backfield currently features promising facets CJ Baxter and Jovantae Barnes, both players carry an injury history that certainly sounds alarms. Coach Stein knows as well as anyone that an injury to one, or both, of your playmakers can throw a season into disarray, and that's likely why he hasn't given either guy much clock this spring so far.
To that end, Pope offers a unique physical profile, with a six-foot, 195-pound frame. His history as an elite linebacker prospect gives him an edge as a blocker and a north-south runner, both. Bringing in a veteran JUCO player with (limited) SEC experience would be the ultimate safety net for Stein's first season.
The pursuit of Pope is a vivid reminder that recruiting truly never sleeps. Just when Cats fans think the roster is "set," Stein and his staff are off once more, now combing through the JUCO ranks. By leveraging Kolby Smith’s existing relationship with Pope, Kentucky appears to be in a prime position to land a player who can contribute on day one.
It's a move the team should safely benefit from with no real drawbacks attached. Besides, Coach Stein has earned our trust up to this point; if he wants to sign a JUCO back, let the man sign a JUCO back.