Jayden Quaintance's father was "always hoping" Mark Pope would re-recruit his son to Kentucky

Jayden Quaintance is back where he was always meant to be.

This time one year ago, the 6-foot-10 forward had no idea he was about to ask Kentucky to release him from his National Letter of Intent. John Calipari, who brought the five-star to Lexington as his prized class of 2024 recruit, was still a day away from shocking the college basketball world and jumping ship to go coach Arkansas. Once he did, Quaintance decided to leave UK the following day, opting to spend his freshman season at Arizona State.

Three days after that, AD Mitch Barnhart made his own shocking move, bringing in former Wildcat Mark Pope to lead the winningest program in the sport. Pope (and Calipari, for that matter) made a run at Quaintance to convince him to be a part of his debut roster at Kentucky, but too many unknowns led the projected NBA Draft lottery pick to the Sun Devils. Quaintance went on to make the Big 12 All-Defensive Team and the Big 12 All-Freshman Team.

But fate has a funny way of working itself out. Nearly one full year after backing off his commitment to the Wildcats, Quiantance is back in the blue and white, this time for good. The 17-year-old, who is coming off successful ACL surgery last month, announced his decision to transfer to Kentucky on Tuesday morning.

It was the rekindling of a relationship the Quantiance family was wishing would happen.

“We always liked Kentucky,” Haminn Quaintance, Jayden’s father, told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. “He was committed there before John Calipari left for Arkansas, which is the reason we ended up at Arizona State. We were always hoping they’d come back around and recruit him. It didn’t make sense for Coach Pope last time, trying to take on one of Cal’s guys, but this time it really felt like he wanted him to be there.“

Pope was forced to build his first Kentucky roster (and coaching staff) on the fly. He was late to attack the portal and high school ranks. Pope leaned heavily on bringing in experienced veterans. Six of Kentucky’s top eight leading scorers in 2024-25 used up their remaining eligibility. But going into his second offseason, the cupboard was not nearly as bare. Pope prioritized bringing in multi-year players, ones with more athleticism and physicality.

A foundation had been set now too. The Quaintance family saw the results with their own eyes throughout Pope’s first season: nearly a dozen Quad 1 wins, more Top 25 wins than any other season in school history, a Sweet 16 berth for the first time since 2019, etc. More importantly, they saw how Jayden could fit into the system (and how they would help rehab his knee). He can slide into that Amari Williams role as a big man who aids in running the offense.

“Kentucky presented us with a very detailed plan for how they plan on bringing Jayden back with the trainers and how they want to use him once he’s healthy,” Haminn Quaintance told Givony. “The way that they use their big men as offensive hubs, he really fits into that system. Jayden didn’t want to go somewhere where he’d just be a screener. Coach Pope made him feel really good. They went really deep on the analytics, going into things most coaches don’t even think of.”

Quaintance is the first “big fish” reeled in Pope as Kentucky’s head coach. Even with the knee concerns, he’s a projected top-five pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Quaintance doesn’t even turn 18 until July. There is unlimited potential inside him — and he and his family trust Pope to bring it out.

[ESPN: Ex-Arizona State star Jayden Quaintance recommits to Kentucky]