LISTEN: Mark Pope talks staff, roster building, NIL in first interview on KSR

Mark Pope might be the busiest person alive, but this morning, he made time for his first-ever interview on Kentucky Sports Radio. To say it was refreshing would be an understatement.

For over 20 minutes, Pope talked about his new staff, the roster-building process (including how his whiteboard of targets needs a new wheel), his recruiting philosophy, scheduling, the importance of NIL, and Club Blue’s Meet the Team event next month. He even caught up with his old LEX18 coworker Ryan Lemond, telling him how special it was to recreate the 1996 national championship celebration at Rupp Arena at his introductory press conference.

“I definitely did,” Pope said when asked if he realized how special that moment was. “And you also feel the burden of responsibility, right? It’s interesting because you feel the burden of responsibility, but you also feel like you’re not in it alone.

“I don’t know if anybody gets to walk into the job and feel like the whole world is on your shoulders, which is what we feel here, but also I feel like I’m looking around the room and there’s 22,000 people and there’s all the guys from ’96, all the guys from ’98, and all the guys in 2012 and all the guys in between, before, and after. And all the fans, like all of us, together, living and dying by every moment. That is so, guys, I’m telling you, it’s a beautiful thing.”

Yes, it is, and hopefully, this is the first of many KSR interviews with Mark Pope. To hear it all, hit play below.

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