Can Mark Pope get his first top five prospect?
Mark Pope has received three top-35 commitments in his first high school recruiting class, including two high 4-star commits in Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno.
However, his first top-10 prospect still eludes him after missing out on Caleb Wilson last month…at least for now.
Over the last few weeks, Pope and his staff have focused heavily on top-five prospect Nate Ament.
Ament, the second-ranked power forward in the 2025 class, cut his list down to 11 schools in January. Of those listed, five have started to separate themselves from the pack: The Duke Blue Devils, Louisville Cardinals, Notre Dame, Tennessee Volunteers, and the Kentucky Wildcats.
The 6-foot-9 prospect has visited each of them over the last five months, with a decision expected in the next month or so. Where does each program stand?
According to Joe Tipton of On3, Louisville, and Duke have “positioned themselves” the best in this recruitment, giving Pat Kesley and the Cardinals a slight lead. However, there is still time and one thing that could shake things up the most is NIL, reported to be one of Ament’s biggest priorities.
Elsewhere at On3, Jamie Shaw did his own update, where he said this could be down to a Kentucky vs. Louisville battle.
“Speaking with sources at this point in time it does sound like there is a split room around Nate Ament with Duke, Louisville, and Kentucky. With the intel I am currently getting, I would not be surprised to see this ultimately come down to a Kentucky and Louisville battle,” Shaw wrote, later adding that a decision could come in the next few weeks.
Ament is fresh off a visit to Kentucky, where he saw Rupp Arena at its best as the Wildcats completed the season sweep of Tennessee. That being his most recent visit, along with Pope visiting for Ament’s Senior night, the hope is it made a lasting impact, but will it be enough?
Time will tell, but the Cats are a legitimate contender to land Ament.
Be sure to read Shaw’s update here.
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