3 players Kentucky HC Mark Pope can target from transfer portal ahead of 2024 season ft. Great Osobor

Mark Pope stepped in the shoes of outgoing Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari, who went to Arkansas this year. Pope, who played for three years as a player at Kentucky, faces the tough challenge of rebuilding the roster from scratch.

Kentucky entered the NCAA tournament consecutively for the last three years and 29 times in the last 33 years. Expectations are high, as is curiosity about who Pope will rope in for the season ahead.

Joey Hart is no longer in the Kentucky camp after he departed, playing only seven games at the program. The possible departure of other top players is also worrisome for the fans.

Reed Shepherd, Ugonna Onyenso, Rob Dillingham and Justin Edwards declared for the NBA draft in June. Antonio Reeves, the top scorer for the program in the last season, has also exhausted his eligibility.

There was some good news for Kentucky fans after Amari Williams landed on the show. He averaged 12.2 points and 7.8 rebounds in the 2023–24 season and was named Coastal Defensive Player of the Year. But who else is Mark Pope interested in?

Who could be the top picks for Mark Pope ahead of the 2024–25 season?

1) Great Osobor

NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament Second Round-Utah State at Purdue

247 Sports ranked the Utah Power forward as the No. 5 player in the transfer portal this year.

The 6'8" star averaged 17.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists in the 2023–24 season. He was named Mountain West Player of the Year for his performance. There were reports of Texas Tech hosting the star. But Osobor is likely to visit Kentucky, Louisville and Washington as well.

2) Andrew Carr

NCAA Basketball: ACC Conference Tournament Quarterfinal: Wake Forest vs Pittsburgh

On3 ranked the Wake Forest forward as the 66th-best player in the transfer portal this year. There were reports about Carr being hosted by Kentucky earlier.

He averaged 13.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in the 2023–24 season. Andrew spent the first two college years at Delaware and the last two at Wake Forest. He has one year of college eligibility remaining.

3) Javon Small

NCAA Basketball: Big 12 Conference Tournament First Round Oklahoma State vs UCF

Oklahoma State point guard Javon Small's performance earned him an All-Big 12 honorable mention this year.

The 6'3" standout averaged 15.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.1 assists while shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 37.4 from three. He previously played for East Carolina and averaged a career-high 15.8 points, 5.6 assists and 4.8 rebounds in 2022–23.

Who else should be on the roster list of Mark Pope for the 2024–25 season? Let us know in the comments.