Mark Pope salary at Kentucky: How much does the head coach earn with the Wildcats?
The much sought-after Kentucky job was handed to former BYU coach Mark Pope, who was a championship-winning captain of the Wildcats under coach Rick Pitino. Pope will have the task of replacing coach John Calipari, who joined the Arkansas Razorbacks after stepping down from his role at Kentucky.
Mark Pope's Kentucky Wildcats salary
Mark Pope was the BYU Cougars coach for five years, with a 110-52 record, and his salary was not disclosed because the institution is private and run by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
According to CBS Sports, Pope has been awarded a five-year contract at Kentucky worth $5.5 million a year.
Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart settled on Pope from a lengthy list that included Alabama Crimson Tide's Nate Oats and double championship-winning UConn Huskies coach Dan Hurley.
Mark Pope brings back the Kentucky of old
Mark Pope was coach Rick Pitino's captain of the 1995-1996 national championship-winning squad, and his appointment as the coach of a rudderless Kentucky team seems like a connection to the old days.
For a while, it looked as if Kentucky would appoint Baylor Bears coach Scott Drew, but Pope eventually edged ahead of him to take the job.
During the announcement of Pope's appointment, Mitch Barnhart, the Kentucky athletic director, made the connection between Mark Pope and the Kentucky championship-winning teams before the Calipari era.
“As a captain on the ‘96 championship team, Mark was a beloved and respected teammate. As a head coach, he is highly regarded nationally as an innovator. His teams run a unique and dynamic up-tempo offense and they get after it on defense. He is a strong recruiter with international ties and a person of integrity," Barnhart wrote.
Pope's appointment was praised by his former coach, Rick Pitino, in a post on social media.
“You have one of the premier young coaches in the game. Relish it because he will do you proud,” Pitino said. “I know I sit here today in Saint John’s and 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.”
Pope will have to deal with Kentucky's rotten NCAA Tournament record, which involves just one Final Four appearance since 2015 and two first-round exits in the last three years.
Calipari was known as an elite recruiter, and the new coach will have to step into that breach as the Wildcats have lost Aaron Bradshaw and Rob Dillingham to the upcoming NBA draft and Adou Thiero to the transfer portal.
The John Calipari era was full of ups and downs and was tumultuous during the last few years, and Kentucky brought back an old boy to steer the ship of perhaps the most cherished basketball institution in the country.