Kentucky can win without top recruits...just ask Florida
The Kentucky Wildcats haven't had much success in landing elite recruits under Mark Pope, but Florida has proven you can still win.
The Kentucky Wildcats basketball team is coming off of one of the most disappointing seasons in school history. A team that was supposed to contend for a championship finished ninth in the SEC and was blown out by Iowa State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Now, coach Mark Pope leads them into one one of the most important offseasons in school history.
Big Blue Nation has concerns. Pope has leaned heavily on the transfer portal by necessity with his first two teams, and has added some talented players. However, when it comes to recruiting top high school players, he has come up empty.
So far, Kentucky has zero commitments for the 2026 class, and fans are getting restless. Wildcats fans are used to being the landing spot for top players, but college basketball is a different world in the era of NIL and the transfer portal. If Kentucky fans need a reminder of that, they only have to look at the Florida Gators .
Todd Golden took over Florida prior to the 2022 season. His first recruiting class was ranked 47th and consisted of just one four-star player. Ironically, it included Denzel Aberdeen as well, a three-star prospect.