ESPN report: Mark Pope shares the transfer portal recruiting trick that works for him.

Transfer portal recruiting is becoming a science of fast dating thanks to Mark Pope.

In mid-April, Mark Pope became the new basketball coach at Kentucky, although he had no players on staff.

That circumstance offered a special challenge as well as a major potential issue. How can a coach put together a team that is primarily composed of players acquired through transfer portals without taking the time to get to know each player and assess how well they fit together chemistry-wise?

Pope remarked, “You go super direct, super fast,” on Wednesday at the SEC Spring Meeting on the Florida Gulf Coast in a one-on-one interview with The Cats’ Pause.

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All-transfer college football team: Best-rated players at every position prior to the 2024 campaign

The future campaign will be defined by these transfer portal stars.

The primary use of the college football transfer portal as a tool for roster construction is to increase depth and close gaps on a particular squad. However, for the best programs, it’s also a way for teams to sign some of the best players in the league. For example, Ohio State signed former Alabama safety Caleb Downs, one of the top defensive players in college football, to lead their 2024 transfer class.

The transfer portal allowed both of the most recent Heisman Trophy winners to attend their new schools, and this season, several of the nation’s top quarterbacks may sign with other teams at first. Similar to this, after finishing offseason workouts, players like wide receiver Isaiah Bond and running back Quinshon Judkins may be the stars of their respective positions in autumn.

Every position in the transfer portal has a high-level starter, and if they were all to sign with the same team, that group would surely have the talent to contend at the highest levels of the game.