Jeff Borzello of ESPN has Kentucky head coach Mark Pope listed on his “Hot seat watch” list for the 2026-27 season.
Other SEC coaches on the list are Lamont Paris at South Carolina and Oklahoma head man Porter Moser.
Tennessee’s Rick Barnes, who turned 72 recently, is on the “Retirement watch” list.
Here is an excerpt about Pope:
There was a point in the offseason when Mark Pope’s grip on the Kentucky job seemed to be slipping, after he missed publicly on a few priority transfer targets. But he rebounded to put together a top-25 roster, with a high enough ceiling to reach the second weekend of the NCAA tournament. But coming off a 22-14 record and second-round exit — after reportedly having the highest salary cap in the country — undoubtedly puts pressure on him. Pope’s one-year extension in 2025 means his contract runs through 2030.
