Ben BabyMar 19, 2026, 02:23 PM ETCloseBen Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN’s NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).Follow on XMultiple Authors
No. 10 Santa Clara vs. No. 7 Kentucky Game Preview (0:58)Check out some stats on No. 10 Santa Clara’s Round of 64 matchup with No. 7 Kentucky in the NCAA men’s tournament. (0:58)
Pope heavily suggested that Lendeborg’s claim to The Associated Press that Kentucky offered him $7 million to $9 million to transfer from UAB in 2025 was inaccurate. However, Pope did not explicitly deny or confirm Lendeborg’s reported offer.
“I am trying not to make a commentary on it,” Pope said Thursday ahead of 7-seed Kentucky’s first-round game against 10-seed Santa Clara in the NCAA tournament. “This is all part of the distraction that my team is not a part of.
“We will try and embrace the circus nature of this and count on some responsible media member somewhere to actually kind of dig in and find out or just be responsible reporting.”
Lendeborg helped the Wolverines (31-3) win the Big Ten regular-season title and receive a 1-seed in the NCAA tournament. Kentucky (21-13) sputtered toward the end of the regular season, going 2-5 in its last seven SEC games and reaching the conference tournament quarterfinals before losing to Florida.
In his second season at Kentucky, Pope is seeking to lead the Wildcats to back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances for the first time since 2018-19.
Earlier this season, ESPN’s Dick Vitale mentioned on a broadcast that Kentucky’s roster cost roughly $22 million to assemble. The Wildcats, like some of the other top brands in the sport, have sought to maximize current NIL regulations to produce a winning program.
“The pressure is ever present, and we want it,” Pope said. “That’s why we come to Kentucky — for it to matter. We love that part.”
No. 10 Santa Clara vs. No. 7 Kentucky Game Preview (0:58)Check out some stats on No. 10 Santa Clara’s Round of 64 matchup with No. 7 Kentucky in the NCAA men’s tournament. (0:58)
Check out some stats on No. 10 Santa Clara’s Round of 64 matchup with No. 7 Kentucky in the NCAA men’s tournament. (0:58)
Ben BabyMar 19, 2026, 02:23 PM ETCloseBen Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN’s NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).Follow on XMultiple Authors
CloseBen Baby covers the Cincinnati Bengals for ESPN. He joined the company in July 2019. Prior to ESPN, he worked for various newspapers in Texas, most recently at The Dallas Morning News where he covered college sports. He provides daily coverage of the Bengals for ESPN.com, while making appearances on SportsCenter, ESPN’s NFL shows and ESPN Radio programs. A native of Grapevine, Texas, he graduated from the University of North Texas with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He is an adjunct journalism professor at Southern Methodist University and a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).Follow on X
One thing Pope didn’t explicitly say: Lendeborg was wrong.
Lendeborg told the AP that Kentucky had “started the number with $7 [million] to $9 [million].”