The Kentucky Wildcats and Coach Mark Pope are gaining momentum in their recruiting efforts. After securing Malachi Moreno and seeing positive developments with Jasper Johnson, Pope and his team are looking to showcase their recruiting skills further.
A notable target for Coach Pope has arranged an official visit to Kentucky. Miikka Muurinen, a four-star prospect from the 2026 class, is scheduled to visit Lexington on the weekend of September 14th, which aligns with the Wildcats’ home football game against Georgia.
Muurinen received an offer from Coach Pope in July following a strong performance at the Nike Peach Jam, where he averaged nearly 18 points per game.
Since Mark Pope became Kentucky’s head coach, he has focused on three key recruits in the 2025 class: Malachi Moreno, Jasper Johnson, and Braylon Mullins. Moreno recently committed to Kentucky, and Johnson is receiving significant attention with many predictions suggesting he will choose the Wildcats when he announces his decision next week.
This leaves Mullins, who is a perfect fit for Coach Pope’s system due to his shooting prowess. After Moreno’s commitment, he expressed a desire to have Mullins join him at Kentucky. Recently, the two interacted on Instagram Live, where Mullins left a comment saying, “BBN Yessir,” indicating their shared interest in playing together.
Mullins, a 6’5″ shooting guard and one of the top shooters in the 2025 class, would complement Johnson well, helping to make Kentucky an elite shooting team. This pattern of strong shooting recruits is likely to continue under Coach Pope.
If Coach Pope successfully recruits Moreno, Johnson, and Mullins, it would mark an exceptional first recruiting class for him at Kentucky. Given the current momentum, it seems highly likely that he will achieve this goal.
