I’m not someone who is going to call for a coach’s job in a public forum, especially not when that coach is doing relatively well. Mark Pope, in spite of a seriously disappointing turn of events last year, has put together a group this offseason that I believe to be capable of making a real run in the SEC. Postseason success is a necessity, sure, but last year looks like an injury-fueled anomaly to me.

However, those outside of Lexington seem to perceive the stakes as being a good bit higher. ESPN’s Jeff Borzello, in outlining the 2026-27 college basketball season 100 days out from tipoff, thinks that Pope is entering his third year with Kentucky under notable pressure.

While Borzello noted that Pope “rebounded well” after a series of “high-profile recruiting and transfer portal misses” earlier this offseason, the hoops insider suggested that last season’s failures have raised the stakes for Pope this season. “Pope can’t afford a repeat of 2025-26,” he finished.

What exactly does “can’t afford” mean here, you may ask? I don’t think it takes much digging to understand that this is a sort of outside warning that Coach Pope didn’t meet the big blue standard last year.