DONE DEAL: The Wildcats have chosen to add a new player to their roster for a one-year deal worth $45.8 million.

 The Wildcats have chosen to add a new player to their roster for a one-year deal worth $45.8 million.

 

 

 

The Mark Pope era is well underway, and the high school recruiting list is still expanding.

Following Pope’s in-person observation of him during the Adidas 3SSB tour in Bryan, Texas, 5-star guard Mikel Brown Jr. became one of the most recent names on the Kentucky Wildcats’ radar.

The Overtime Elite player dazzled many Kentucky coaches with his play in Texas.

After watching Brown play, Pope called him, according to Jacob Polacheck of Kentucky Sports Radio.

The 6-foot-2 guard has already drawn interest from many SEC schools, including Alabama, Tennessee, and Auburn. Brown has visited Ole Miss as well. According to 247 Sports Composite, he is now ranked 15th overall in 2025.

Kentucky is a little behind in high school recruiting due to the recent coaching change in Lexington, but Pope is doing a terrific job of reaching out to a wide range of talented players who are still undecided.

Regarding Mark Pope, Brown mentioned watching Pope’s BYU team in response to a question.

“They led the country in 3-point percentage and shooting. Watching them heading into March Madness, they played really good basketball and played really well together.”

If Pope can bring in a future star like Brown, that would be a massive boost to Kentucky’s class of 2025.