Mark Pope visits Nate Ament immediately after Kentucky official

Well, that was fast. Just two days after five-star prospect Nate Ament left campus following his official visit to Kentucky, Mark Pope is on his way to watch him play.

According to Dushawn London of 247 Sports, the UK head coach will be in attendance for the nation’s No. 3 overall recruit during his senior night on Friday.

Kentucky head coach Mark Pope will be in attendance for 5 star prospect Nate Ament’s senior night a source tells @247Sports.

Ament is fresh off his official visit to Kentucky. pic.twitter.com/1MhM37Eh5p

— Dushawn London (@DushawnLondon1) February 14, 2025

Ament was in Lexington starting Monday night and stayed through Kentucky’s win over Tennessee on Tuesday before heading out Wednesday. The five-star prospect shared photos from the trip on Thursday — a tradition for high-profile recruits following official visits.

Now, as the Wildcats head south to Austin ahead of their matchup at Texas, Pope is on his way to Highland High School in Warrenton, Virginia.

Ament is down to a final 11 of Arkansas, BYU, Duke, Georgetown, Kansas State, Kentucky, Louisville, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Alabama and Texas with the Blue Devils, Cardinals, Fighting Irish, Volunteers and Wildcats of Lexington seen as the top contenders.

“I mean, the first couple of games for them have been insane,” Ament previously said of Kentucky. “For Coach Pope to come in as the new head coach and keep Kentucky going like it was with Coach Cal, is insane to see something something like that. Coach Pope has them playing fast, putting up a lot of points, and shooting a lot of threes.”

Can Pope land his big fish? A decision is expected in the coming weeks — and it appears the Kentucky head coach will spend every spare second he has working to close on a commitment.

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