Last cycle’s coaching hires are yet to coach their first games in their new digs but the dominoes that will help illustrate their fates over the next handful of years are already starting to fall into place.
So today, less than 100 days before this year’s five most buzz-about hires make their debuts, Rivals checks in on how each is faring on the recruiting trail thus far.
MORE: Five prospects that boosted their stock in July
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2025 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2026 Rankings: Rivals150
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JOHN CALIPARI, Arkansas
It seems to be business as usual for Calipari, who traded in his Kentucky blue wardrobe for an Arkansas red one this offseason. After luring three members of his 2024 class to flip their commitments from the Wildcats to the Razorbacks, the veteran head coach recently won a battle with Kansas and Michigan for 2025 five-star Darius Acuff Jr.
Calipari seems to be well on his way to recruiting at a similar level to his impressive run at Kentucky, where his classes annually ranked among the nation’s best. The Razorbacks remain in play for four-star big man Malachi Moreno and will need to stand toe-to-toe with Kentucky in order to land him. Calipari is also technically in the fight for No. 1 overall prospect A.J. Dybantsa as well as a number of other top-50 prospects.
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PAT KELSEY, Louisville
Taking over a program that had somehow fallen below rock bottom is quite a task, so nobody expected Kelsey to light the recruiting trail on fire in his first cycle. Selling a program that has gone 12-52 over the past two seasons is a tough gig, after all.
Landing 2024 Michigan decommit Khani Rooths just months after taking the job was a massive victory for Kelsey last cycle. The Cardinals are involved with high-profile 2025 prospects Shelton Henderson, Jasper Johnson, Malachi Moreno and Darryn Peterson, but they do not feel particularly likely to land any of the three.
That said, there are plenty of irons in the fire this cycle and the shotgun approach Kelsey is employing should – should – result in a couple of Rivals150 commitments when everything shakes out.
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DUSTY MAY, Michigan
Missing out on Detroit native and lifelong Michigan fan Darius Acuff was less than ideal, but May deserves some grace due to the fact that he took over the program during the late stages of Acuff’s recruitment and was placed behind the 8-ball because of it.
May has now turned his attention to four-star forward Trey McKenney, an in-state product that May cannot let slip away due to the fact that doing so would mean a public perception hit. Obviously nothing that happens this offseason will solely determine how the May era unfolds, but watching two top-ranked Michigan kids waltz off to out-of-state programs would induce a few groans.
The Wolverines also have irons worth watching in the fires belonging to five-stars Chris Cenac and Koa Peat along with four-star Braylon Mullins. It’s fair to expect May to land at least one of the aforementioned marquee prospects in 2025, as failing to do so would be enough reason to raise an eyebrow.
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ERIC MUSSELMAN, USC
Musselman developed a reputation as an ace recruiter during his time at Arkansas and arrived at USC with serious fanfare this offseason. He managed to entice four-star Isaiah Elohim, whom Musselman originally landed at Arkansas, to ask out of his letter of intent and follow him to Los Angeles.
The 2025 cycle is yet to bear any fruit for the first-year Trojan head coach, but five-star Tounde Yessoufou is very much in play. So are prospects such as Brayden Burries and Tee Bartlett.
The 2026 class may set up even better for Musselman, who has already become extremely involved with California-based five-stars Brandon McCoy Jr., Jason Crowe Jr. and Tajh Ariza.
The fact that USC is coming off of a disastrous 15-18 finish last season will work in Musselman's favor from a perception standpoint, as marked improvement is the only expectation in year one.
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MARK POPE, Kentucky
It’s unfair to compare Pope with Calipari from a recruiting standpoint because Pope’s installation signified a change in strategy for the once freshman-reliant Wildcats. Still there’s a certain expectation in Lexington, and Pope will need to live up to it in order to keep fans optimistic about the future.
Most important at the moment are the recruitments of local products Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno, both of whom are from the Lexington area. It feels as though Pope needs to land at least one of the two in-state stars if he hopes to avoid hearing some groans from Big Blue Nation.
The Wildcats are also involved in some way with four-stars Braylon Mullins and Acaden Lewis in addition to five-stars Tounde Yessoufou and Caleb Wilson. In some ways, the 2025 class is the chance to make an opening statement for a coach who needs to advance in the NCAA Tournament every year in order to appease his fan base.
