Arizona State transfer Jayden Quaintance evokes comparisons with former Clemson standout from HC Mark Pope

Kentucky coach Mark Pope is confident that the Wildcats' new addition, Jayden Quaintance, will become a key piece next season. Quaintance, a former five-star center, transferred to Kentucky after spending his freshman year at Arizona State.

The 6-foot-9 forward is one of five new players Pope added to the roster for his second season in Lexington. On Wednesday, Pope discussed with CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein about this transfer class and what he expects from his players.

Rothstein praised Quaintance for his defensive instincts and asked Pope if there was any player who Quaintance reminds him of.

"Just in his physical appearance, I'm gonna go — and he was a former teammate of mine — but if you remember the great Dale Davis," Pope said (0:20), comparing Quaintance with the Clemson alum and his former Indiana Pacers teammate. "I got to play with him my rookie year."

Mark Pope described Davis as an elite-level shot blocker, an outstanding athlete and someone whose presence was so intimidating that one would never want to cross him without getting punished.

"And Jayden has unbelievable timing," the coach added (0:55). "He's incredibly mobile. He's actually got some real skill putting the ball on the floor offensively. I think he's — listen, he's destined to be a star."

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Mark Pope shares optimistic update on Jayden Quaintance injury recovery

Jayden Quaintance's potential is apparent, yet his journey hasn't been without its hurdles, as he suffered an ACL injury in February that sidelined him for the remainder of the season.

However, recent updates from coach Mark Pope paint encouraging signs, hinting at a promising recovery trajectory for the young center.

"We're in a full rush. The one thing about him is we are — when I say full rush? We’re going to rush back to 100% complete health," Pope said in the aforementioned interview with Jon Rothstein. "So, we're thinking, we're optimistic that we're going to have really, really good results in the fall.

"We'll see how that goes. But, you know, we're going to rush to get him back to 100% healthy before we roll him out on this court."

Quaintance had surgery in March to repair his ACL tear but is expected to be ready for the start of the 2025-26 season. He played 24 games for the Sun Devils as a freshman and averaged 9.4 points and 7.9 rebounds, shooting 52.5%.