In his first month as Kentucky’s coach, Mark Pope built a roster from scratch. Last year, he assembled his second team with the biggest budget in college basketball. That didn’t pan out quite exactly as planned, but today, Pope can turn it all around.
Two very important visitors are on Kentucky’s campus today. One is Tyran Stokes, the top player in the 2026 recruiting class. The other is BYU point guard Robert Wright III, one of the top players in the transfer portal. Either player could be a game-changer on next year’s roster. Land them both, and things are trending up in a huge way ahead of a make-or-break season.
Stokes scheduled his visit to Kentucky first, arriving on Sunday night. He told Krysten Peek that he was coming back to Lexington to see what the vibe was like with the new staff, undoubtedly a reference to Mo Williams, who came on board a few weeks ago. Williams may be a factor in Wright’s recruitment, too, flying with Mark Pope to Atlanta this weekend to visit with the BYU point guard, according to Jack Pilgrim. Wright’s father is a fan of Williams, so hopefully, the newbie on the staff can help the Cats pull off a coup.
Kentucky fans are so excited for the visits, they’re hanging banners telling Stokes and Wright to “Come Home.” As Matt Jones said on KSBoard, Stokes and Wright may not be the only visitors today; a mystery guest could join them. Separately, there is talk that Syracuse forward Donnie Freeman could visit this week, further fueled by Mo Williams and Mikhail McLean stopping by the banner house to ask them to make one for Freeman, who was on FaceTime.
Either way, whatever happens today with Stokes and/or Wright will have huge ramifications on Kentucky’s plans moving forward. We sure could use some good news around here, especially after Louisville landed Kansas transfer Flory Bidunga and Oregon transfer Jackson Shelstad on Sunday. Cross everything you’ve got that today goes well. Maybe even make a sign.
@ConstrLawKY/Twitter
Obviously, Stokes and Wright’s visits will dominate the news today. Here’s a rundown of some things you may have missed while you were watching the Masters and what else is happening today.
Trent Noah is back; Brandon Garrison to Alabama
Mountain Mamba is back. Trent Noah announced on Sunday that he will return to Kentucky for his junior season. The Harlan native averaged just 3.0 points and 2.3 rebounds this past season, but is committed to year three under Pope, representing his home state school. Welcome back, Mountain Mamba.
Elsewhere, Brandon Garrison has a new home. BG is taking his talents to Tuscaloosa, committing to Alabama last night. Jasper Johnson is also considering the Crimson Tide, although John Calipari and Arkansas have also thrown their hat in the ring. Mo Dioubate could also end up playing for a former Kentucky coach. The Queens native visits Rick Pitino and St. John’s this week. Honestly, that makes total sense.
Will Stein landed his biggest recruit yet
Maybe the basketball staff can borrow some of the football staff’s recruiting mojo. On Sunday, Will Stein landed his biggest recruit yet, four-star quarterback Jake Nawrot, the second-highest-ranked QB in the 2027 class. Kentucky beat out Iowa and Oregon for the Illinois native, who led his state in touchdown passes last fall with 41 and completed 71% of his throws for a school record 3,078 yards.
KSR Top 10Top 101Top Portal PG
to visit Kentucky
Trending2Tyran Stokes 👀
schedules visit to Kentucky
Trending3No. 2 QB
Commits to KENTUCKY
to Alabama
New5View AllGet the On3 Top 10 Newsletter in your inbox every morning
By clicking “Subscribe to Newsletter”, I agree to On3’s Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
“I had it in my heart to make it to this place,” Nawrot told Jacob Polacheck on Sunday. “Over the phone with Coach Sloan, I randomly had it in my gut to say I’m coming. Just like that, it was official. Now, it’s going everywhere.”
Nawrot is a huge addition, the eighth and highest-ranked member of Kentucky’s 2027 class, which currently ranks No. 26 nationally. On Friday, four-star defensive tackle Elijah Brown committed. Will Stein was already making noise on the recruiting trail; this weekend’s additions are another boost of momentum during a critical time. Steve Wiltfong has some exciting intel about who could be next, placing an RPM pick for Beechwood four-star wide receiver Tyler Fryman, who is currently committed to Louisville to play baseball. That’d be a fun steal.
Kentucky Baseball lost its fourth straight SEC series
Now, for the not-so-great news. Kentucky Baseball lost to No. 10 Auburn on Sunday, 11-0, making it four SEC series in a row that the Bat Cats have dropped. Kentucky lost the first game of the series on Friday but battled back on Saturday to even the score. Unfortunately, Auburn sophomore right-handed pitcher Alex Petrovic was on a heater, allowing only five hits, striking out eight, and walking none.
Kentucky is now 25-10, 7-8 in SEC play. The Bat Cats can bounce back in a big way this weekend when Vanderbilt comes to town. The Vandy Boys are also 7-8 in conference play, 21-16 overall. They’re coming off a loss themselves, to No. 16 Oklahoma. Sounds like a perfect opportunity to get right to me.
Reminder: Spring Game-Vandy Baseball doubleheader this weekend
We’re coming off a picture-perfect spring weekend. The forecast is a little iffy right now, but a monster UK Sports weekend is on deck, with the baseball series vs. Vanderbilt taking place Friday through Sunday and the football spring game on Saturday morning. With the spring game kicking off at 11 a.m. and the first pitch of Kentucky vs. Vandy scheduled for 2 p.m., you can easily attend both. Add in another weekend of Keeneland, and Lexington will be crazy.
Kentucky Softball finishes series vs. No. 6 Tennessee
It was a rough weekend on the diamond for the Kentucky Softball team, which dropped its first two games vs. No. 6 Tennessee, 5-0, 6-0. The Cats and the Vols will finish the series tonight at 7 p.m. ET at John Cropp Stadium (SEC Network). Rachel Lawson’s squad is struggling, now 24-21, 1-15 in SEC play. Even though Tennessee already won the series, a victory over the Vols is a good way to start turning things around.