In An Interview On CBS’ Jon Rothstein’s podcast HC Mark Pope Made Honest Admission on the recruiting trail
Despite already stringing together one of the nation’s most impressive rosters for the 2025-26 college basketball season in Kentucky’s current 12-man roster, Mark Pope hasn’t hopped off the recruiting trail just yet.
During his appearance on CBS’ Jon Rothstein’s podcast, Pope said that he wants to “round out” the current roster with an initial addition, saying, “I have 12 guys right now… we’re actually going to try and round out this roster.”
“I’m actually scouring the planet right now,” he said. “… for guys that would fit in as maybe a redshirt guy that would kill it in practice, or maybe a last year of your career guy that wants to come here and put on this one-of-one jersey and be a part of this.”
“We need to add a couple more pieces but right now we have our roster that’s going to own the minutes on this floor.”
Identifying the Right Additions
Although Kentucky’s core group of 12 players is expected to handle most of the playing time next season, Coach Mark Pope remains focused on strategically filling the remaining roster spots.
It’s a wise approach for several reasons—chief among them being Kentucky’s recent struggles with injuries, particularly last season. In Pope’s first year, the team was forced to rely heavily on its depth, leading to some midseason instability and plenty of “what if” scenarios that might have played out differently with better health or a deeper bench.
While the whole conversation is compelling, Pope’s mention of adding “a couple more pieces” hints that more than one new face could still join the Wildcats before the season begins—something that seemed unlikely just a few days ago.
The future remains unclear, but one thing’s certain: Coach Pope and his staff are fully invested in finalizing the roster. Their strong work so far proves that any gaps will be addressed, one way or another.
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