"Had to drag his old teammates' a**es out" "Goosebumps": Fans divided as new Kentucky HC Mark Pope makes grand entrance for first press conference

Newly hired Kentucky head coach Mark Pope has now been formally introduced to the Wildcats nation. With former HC John Calipari now in Arkansas, UK is starting again and fans have already chimed in on what they saw during Pope`s introductory press conference.

Safe to say, fans are equal parts thrilled and not-so-thrilled at Mark Pope getting hired. Some are just in awe that to introduce Pope, the UK had an entire arena filled out. They went on X to share their thoughts, and here are a few of the most notable ones.

Pope`s entrance into Kentucky`s Rupp Arena involved bringing some of his old teammates back from their 1996 championship run. The players came out of a bus to the roaring applause of the crowd, with Mark Pope notably coming out last while holding the Wildcats' national championship trophy for the year.

Here are a few more reactions from fans ranging from the supportive to not-so-enamored:

"So awesome you all trashed this hire," says one person.

"This is very cool. Good job from a Husky fan," writes another.

"Kentucky is going all in on this guy who is gonna struggle to make the Sweet 16," quips one more fan.

Mark Pope, a former Wildcat himself, notably played under former head coach Rick Pitino at Lexington. While he was never a star for Kentucky, he was the team captain of that squad and was a member of their core rotation. During his playing days, Pope averaged 9.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists on just above 52% FG shooting in 125 games.

Now, him being the new coach of the team after John Calipari`s 15-year run is more or less a full-circle moment for him. Mark Pope notably coached the BYU Cougars from 2019-2024, leading the team to five winning seasons and two NCAA Tournament appearances including this year.

Mark Pope`s contract at Kentucky

The exact details of Mark Pope`s contract at Kentucky are not public. But numerous reports do say that the Wildcats are set to pay him around $5.5 million per season before incentives on a five-year deal. His hiring followed after various notable coaches reportedly either turned the job down or were just implicated wrongly.

Among these coaches were the Chicago Bulls` Billy Donovan, Alabama`s Nate Pats, Baylor`s Scott Drew, and even back-to-back champion coach Dan Hurley of UConn.