Mark Pope gives update on filling Kentucky’s 15th roster spot

Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope yells on the sidelines during a NCAA basketball game between the Tennessee Volunteers and Kentucky Wildcats at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center in Knoxville, Tenn., on Jan. 17, 2026. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images It may be July, but there are still plenty of options for Kentucky Basketball to fill that 15th and final roster spot.

class="wp-block-paragraph">This is typically the time of the year when we see reclassifications happen now that the bulk of the summer AAU season is complete. International recruiting is another avenue Kentucky has landed several players from since Mark Pope arrived in Lexington.

class="wp-block-paragraph">And we can’t forget the emergence of fifth-year seniors who were set to have their eligibility expire but are now getting one more year thanks to ongoing lawsuits.

class="wp-block-paragraph">All of this is to say Kentucky still has time to add one more guy, and Pope discussed just that during his Friday meeting with local media.

class="wp-block-paragraph">“We have a spot open, and so we’re actively, every day, in conversations with everything from international guys, reclass guys, still transfer portal guys, and then of course this looming fifth-year eligibility, which would bring a huge influx of talent into the recruitable pool right now,” Pope told reporters. “Some guys that could be game-changers.”

class="wp-block-paragraph">The most recent big-name player to be granted a fifth year of eligibility is Auburn forward Keyshawn Hall, who averaged 19.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game last season.

class="wp-block-paragraph">Other notable players who could gain one more season of eligibility if their lawsuits are successful include Michigan State forward Jaxon Kohler, UCLA point guard Donovan Dent, Texas guard Jordan Pope, UCLA guard Skyy Clark, and UC Santa Barbara guard Aidan Mahaney.

class="wp-block-paragraph">Will he manage to get it filled? With the start of the fall semester looming, we won’t have to wait long to find out.