BREAKING: Kentucky set to hire Mark Pope as head coach

Mitch Barnhart has found his replacement for John Calipari, and it’s a familiar face for Kentucky fans.

BYU coach Mark Pope is working toward a deal to become the next head coach of the Wildcats, returning to Lexington after winning a national championship in 1996 under Rick Pitino.

Multiple national sources are reporting the news, including ESPN, CBS Sports and The Field of 68.

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

BREAKING: Kentucky is closing in on hiring BYU’s Mark Pope, per a source.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 12, 2024

Breaking news: Kentucky has lined up BYU’s Mark Pope to be its next coach, sources tell @CBSSports. Nothing is signed at this hour but the sides are quickly working toward a deal and hope to get it done by the end of the night.

— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) April 12, 2024

BREAKING: Kentucky is expected to hire BYU’s Mark Pope, barring a last-second collapse in negotiations, source told @TheFieldOf68.

Pope played for the Wildcats from 1994-96, has been the head coach at BYU since 2019. https://t.co/SHgNDK0xbg

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) April 12, 2024

Pope holds a 110-52 overall record in five seasons at BYU after arriving in 2019. That came after a four-year stint at Utah Valley where he finished with a 77-56 record that included a 48-21 finish in his final two years before making the jump to Utah. He’s been to two NCAA Tournaments in 2021 and 2023 with an NIT quarterfinals run between them in 2022.

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