Kentucky Reportedly Targeting BYU’s Mark Pope As Next Head Coach
Apr 11, 2024, 7:45 PM | Updated: Apr 13, 2024, 11:22 am
PROVO, Utah – BYU head coach Mark Pope will reportedly be the head coach at Kentucky.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports on Thursday night. Jeff Goodman from Field of 68 also reported that Pope is the focus of Kentucky’s search.
Sources: Kentucky is targeting BYU coach Mark Pope to be the school’s next coach. A deal is expected to come together in the near future. pic.twitter.com/xpCnGk34a9
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) April 12, 2024
Pope has been at BYU for five seasons.
After the Wildcats received a “no” from Baylor’s Scott Drew on Thursday morning to their interest, BYU’s Mark Pope became the top target.
Sources have told KSL Sports that Pope cleared out his schedule of meetings and events on campus at BYU moments after Drew publicly expressed he was staying in Waco.
Pope was 110-52 in his five seasons as the head coach at BYU. He led the Cougars to two NCAA Tournament appearances.
This past season was perhaps his best coaching job as he led BYU into its inaugural season in the Big 12 Conference and helped BYU earn a 6-seed in the NCAA Tournament. BYU lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Duquesne.
Pope will replace John Calipari at Kentucky. Calipari left Lexington last week for the head coach position at Arkansas.
Pope was a former national champion in Kentucky under Rick Pitino in 1996. He was a captain on that Kentucky team that won the school its first National Championship since 1978.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
