Things move pretty fast in college basketball these days: One moment you’re dealing with grumbling fans and falling short of expectations, the next you’re pocketing a five-year deal worth $27.5 million to coach the storied Kentucky Wildcats, a program that has won eight national championships.

Kentucky announced on Friday that BYU’s Mark Pope, a team captain on one of those NCAA title winners in 1996, will replace John Calipari, who bolted for Arkansas earlier this week. The 51-year-old Pope is expected to be introduced at a news conference on Sunday.

“It’s the definition of blueblood program where hanging a banner is the expectation ever year,” Pope said. “Equally as important, UK changed my life forever as a human being. The love and passion I have for this program, this University and the people of the Commonwealth goes to the depth of my soul.”

BYU Director of Athletics Tom Holmoe released a statement on Friday morning.

“We want to thank Coach Pope for all that he has given to the BYU men’s basketball program in his nine years here as an assistant and head coach,” Holmoe said. “His unique combination of passion, dedication, creativity and excitement has inspired our BYU community. He led our team to a very successful inaugural Big 12 season, and left the program in a position of strength moving forward. There is a lot for Cougar Nation to be excited about right now. We wish Mark all the best as the head coach at his alma mater. He will always be a part of our BYU family.”

After winning an NCAA title as a player at Kentucky in 1996, Pope played professionally overseas and in the NBA for eight years. He enrolled in medical school in 2006 but eventually opted for a different career path. His coaching career began as an assistant at Georgia and then Wake Forest before joining Dave Rose’s staff at BYU in 2011. In 2015, Pope took his first head coaching job at Utah Valley and was 75-56 in four seasons. Rose retired after the 2018-19 season and Pope was hired to replace him.

Pope’s first BYU team in 2019-20 was 24-8, upset No. 2 Gonzaga in Provo and was trending toward a low seed in the NCAA Tournament before COVID cancelled that event. The Cougars returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2021 but lost in the first round to UCLA, which advanced to the Final Four. Pope’s next two teams fell short of post-season play and faced a huge upgrade in the Big 12 in 2023-24. Picked to finish 13th (out of 14), the Cougars ended up fifth during conference play and was awarded a No. 6 NCAA seed. BYU was upset by No. 11 Duquesne in the first round in Omaha.

Kentucky (23-10), which was a No. 3 seed but shocked by No. 14 Oakland in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, initially reached out to more high-profile names to find Calipari’s replacement, but found huge buy-out clauses built into many of those coach’s contracts as quite prohibitive. The rumors picked up on Thursday that Pope was their guy and it was made official on Friday.

The endorsements start with Pope’s former coach at Kentucky, Rick Pitino, now at St. John’s.

“What a day for the University of Kentucky,” Pitino said in a video message. “The leader, the captain of the ‘Untouchables’ is coming home to lead the Wildcats. Mark Pope, went into the Big 12 this year and beat Kansas at Kansas and Baylor at home and in his first year, got to the NCAA. Mark Pope, offensively, no one does it better. The way his teams move, the way his teams shoot the 3, the ball movement, the player movement is outstanding.

“You have one of the premier young coaches in the game. Relish it, because he will do you proud. I couldn’t be any more proud than to see Mark Pope lead the Kentucky Wildcats to another championship. He’ll get it done. He’s got the right stock, he’s got a beautiful family and he loves, absolutely loves, Kentucky across his chest. Get it done, Mark. I love you. You’re going to do a fabulous job.”

Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart cited Pope’s impressive 187-108 career record as a head coach and keen knowledge of the program’s meaning to the state. The AD also praised Pope’s “dynamic” up-tempo offense and tough defense and called him an innovator.

“He is a strong recruiter with international ties and a person of integrity,” Barnhart said. “He fully embraces our high expectations and standards and I know that as our fans get reacquainted with Mark, they will be eager to join him on what promises to be an exciting ride.”

Meanwhile, the BYU program will experience quite a different kind of ride over the next few months. Holmoe and Deputy Athletic Director Brian Santiago will immediately begin a search for Pope’s replacement while current players examine their options. Sophomore point guard Dallin Hall and junior center Aly Khalifa have already entered the transfer portal and more players are expected to join him soon.

When Rose stepped down in the spring of 2019 it took Holmoe and Santiago 15 days to solidify Pope’s hire, an eternity in college basketball. The hiring process at BYU is longer than at most schools, which could be a big factor in retaining the talent Pope had set up to return to Provo for the 2024-25 season.

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