Jan 4, 2025; Gilbert, AZ, USA; Notre Dame High School (CA) forward Tyran Stokes (4) against Sandra Day O'Connor (AZ) during the Hoophall West High School Invitational at Highland High School. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Tyran Stokes has a chance to change the narrative around Mark Pope as a recruiter

Originally posted on Kentucky Wildcats on SI
By Andrew Stefaniak | Last updated Oct 4, 2025 12:00 PM ET

Mark Pope is doing all he can to try and land the #1 overall player in the 2026 class, Tyran Stokes. This recruitment has looked back and forth over the last few days.

When Tay Kinney committed to Kansas, the buzz for Stokes seemed to be on the side of the Jayhawks. After this, Stokes inked a deal with Nike, which pushed Kansas to the back of the pack, knowing they are an Adidas school.

This made it seem like Kentucky and Oregon are the two schools that make the most sense for Stokes, but last night, top 15 recruit Tajh Ariza committed to Oregon, and he plays the same position as Stokes.

After Ariza chose the Ducks, all of the buzz for Stokes has come in the corner of Kentucky. It seems just about everyone thinks that Stokes will pick Kentucky, but recruiting is fluid and changes every single day.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

There has been a narrative around Coach Mark Pope saying that he isn't an elite recruiter. Obviously, Kentucky fans aren't believers in this narrative, but landing the #1 overall player in the 2026 class would silence the haters.

Stokes has said that he wants to pick a school before his high school season starts, so based on this, it seems like Stokes will be committing very soon. If the buzz stays on the side of Kentucky, this is great, but Coach Pope will need to keep pushing to make sure that no schools make any kind of last-second push.

The Wildcats are going to be returning a lot of talent from this year's team to next season's roster, more than likely, so it is scary to think how good this team could be with Stokes.

This recruitment is winding down, so Coach Pope needs to make a strong final push.

Here is the scouting report on Stokes from Adam Finkelstein of 247Sports, "Stokes is the most talented prospect in the national class and a unique match-up for opposing defenders. At 6-foot-7 and 230 pounds with a 7-foot wingspan, he’s powerful, long, and explosively athletic. But while he’s built like a forward, he can make plays like a guard with an ability to create off the dribble and an innate understanding of how to instinctively find a path to the rim, even when one doesn’t seem to initially present itself. He’s especially lethal getting downhill in the open floor and loves to take the ball off the defensive glass (10 rebounds per game in EYBL) and start the break himself."

This article first appeared on Kentucky Wildcats on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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