Medical redshirt for Kerr Kriisa? Mark Pope says it's on the table

Kentucky's Collin Chandler, Jaxson Robinson, and Kerr Kriisa on the sideline during the Tennessee game - Dr. Michael Huang, Kentucky Sports Radio

With just six games to go in the regular season for Kentucky, the clock is ticking on Kerr Kriisa‘s return in 2024-25. Undergoing surgery on a broken foot back in December, the school initially announced the injury would not keep him out the rest of the year, but his status remains foggy with Selection Sunday less than four weeks away.

Well, it had been foggy until Monday night prior to Mark Pope’s call-in radio show. Then he decided to break the news that while Kriisa’s recovery has been ‘a little bit slower’ than hoped, fans can expect to see the fifth-year senior in blue and white again at some point — even if it’s next season.

A fan asked if a medical redshirt was on the table for Kriisa, opening the door for a potential return if he is unable to return this season. Pope’s response? Absolutely.

“Kerr could get a medical redshirt because he meets qualifications,” the Kentucky head coach said. “The two qualifications are less than 30 percent of the games played — he’s barely under 30 percent — and not played past the mid-point. So that is a possibility.”

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Out since Kentucky’s win over Gonzaga in Seattle on December 7 with just nine games under his belt, he meets the criteria for a medical redshirt. That’s just the worst-case scenario for the Wildcats, though. Both Pope and Kriisa hope the fifth-year senior can find his way back on the floor this season and give this team the spark it needs to make a run in March.

“Right now, I know he’s anxiously trying to get back into this thing,” Pope said. “The recovery has been probably a little bit slower than any of us would like. That’s going to continue to be an ongoing process.”

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