Where in the world is Mark Pope? Kentucky is all over the country for recruiting visits

Think Mark Pope and the Kentucky coaching staff are slowing down because the 2025-26 roster is mostly set going into May? Think again. As portal season winds down, high school recruiting season is ramping up — and the Wildcats are on the hunt for their 2026 class, starting all the way at the top of the rankings.

Kentucky has spent the last week meeting with the very best of the best the rising senior class has to offer, and by the looks of things, they’re not preparing for a break anytime soon.

Among confirmed contact dating back to April 22, the Wildcats have met with a double-digit number of prospects for in-home visits, ranging from the five-stars everyone wants their hands on to some under-the-radar gems expected to see their stock rise in the coming months as AAU ball continues and live periods begin.

We knew about the likes of Anthony Thompson, Caleb Holt, Tay Kinney and Austin Goosby last week. Now, we’ve got another half-dozen names to add to the list: two yesterday, four today, and one tomorrow.

Monday started with a pair of top-10 meetings in Arizona, Pope and assistant coach Cody Fueger seeing five-stars Miikka Muurinen and Ikenna Alozie. From there, we got two top-10 meetings on Tuesday along with two other four-star additions, Pope and Jason Hart seeing Christian Collins and Tajh Ariza while Mikhail McLean saw Billy White III and Christian Gibson.

Thanks @Coach_McLean for stopping by! pic.twitter.com/jEpRazYVrf

— Christian Gibson (@ChristianGib05) April 29, 2025

Up next, Alvin Brooks III is expected to be in for 2026 five-star shooting guard Jordan Smith Jr. on Wednesday, his father tells Jacob Polacheck of KSR+.

Mind you, these are just the confirmed in-homes at this point — we know this staff likes to work in silence, so we’re probably talking about well over a dozen names with more to come. They’re laying the groundwork ahead of the first live period in May and before the 2025-26 arrives in Lexington in June.

As always, we’ll keep you updated with the latest visits as they come. Until then, take a look at the full schedule over the last week:

Tuesday, April 22
Anthony Thompson: 6-foot-8 SF from Western Reserve – No. 14 overall
Caleb Holt: 6-foot-5 SG from Grayson – No. 4 overall

Wednesday, April 23
Tay Kinney: 6-foot-2 PG from Overtime Elite – No. 17 overall
Austin Goosby: 6-foot-5 SF from Melissa – No. 27 overall

Monday, April 28
Miikka Muurinen: 6-foot-10 PF from Compass Prep – No. 6 overall
Ikenna Alozie: 6-foot-2 PG from Dream City Christian – No. 10 overall

Tuesday, April 29
Christian Collins: 6-foot-8 SF from St. John Bosco – No. 3 overall
Tajh Ariza: 6-foot-8 SF from St. John Bosco – No. 8 overall
Billy White lll: 6-foot-9 SF from Veterans Memorial – No. 33 overall
Christian Gibson: 6-foot-4 SG from Mayde Creek – No. 51 overall

Wednesday, April 30
Jordan Smith Jr.: 6-foot-4 SG from Paul VI Catholic – No. 5 overall

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Pope and his staff are ready to reel in some big-time recruits.