Mo Williams is now recruiting for Kentucky. Here are the details of his UK deal
Mark Pope is in search of several new players for his 2026-27 Kentucky basketball roster, and the latest addition to his coaching staff is already assisting in the Wildcats’ recruiting efforts.
Former NBA point guard Mo Williams, who UK officially announced Monday afternoon as the newest hire to Pope’s staff, has been actively recruiting for the Cats since the transfer portal opened last week. Williams resigned as the head coach of Jackson State on March 30 to join Pope’s staff in Lexington.
According to records obtained by the Herald-Leader this week, Williams agreed to terms on a two-year contract that will pay him $500,000 per season through the 2027-28 campaign. The term sheet, which was also signed by UK athletics director Mitch Barnhart, is an agreement on Williams’ employment until an official contract is signed.
Williams, 43, will also be eligible for bonuses contingent on the Wildcats’ postseason success. He would receive $20,000 if UK makes the Sweet 16, $30,000 for an Elite Eight appearance, $50,000 if Kentucky advances to the Final Four or $100,000 if the Cats win the national title. Williams could also earn $30,000 for an SEC regular-season championship and $20,000 for an SEC Tournament title.
Those bonuses mirror those in the contracts of Pope’s other assistant coaches. There’s also a stipulation in Williams’ term sheet that says he would owe UK a total of $800,000 if he terminates the agreement before Dec. 1, 2026.
The Kentucky coaching staff is undergoing a shakeup this spring after Pope had the same five assistant coaches for his first two seasons in charge of the program.
Associate head coach Alvin Brooks III and assistant coach Jason Hart both left UK after the end of the 2025-26 season. Brooks, who made $825,000 this past season as Pope’s highest-paid assistant, is now on staff at N.C. State. Hart, who made $525,000 in 2025-26, left Lexington to become the associate head coach at SMU.
Both Brooks and Hart signed two-year contracts in 2024 that expired this offseason.
Current assistants Mark Fox and Cody Fueger also worked this past season on expiring contracts, though both coaches have been actively recruiting for the Cats in recent weeks. Mikhail McLean signed a two-year extension in 2025 that will pay him $425,000 next season.
Pope also hired former BYU staffer Keegan Brown as his director of roster management last month, though he still has one spot to fill on his coaching staff for next season. The term sheet obtained by the Herald-Leader states that Williams will be an assistant coach, leaving the “associate head coach” title vacated by Brooks open for the time being.
While Pope looks to fill that spot, he’s also focused on the recruiting trail, where Williams has already been working on behalf of the Cats. Once the roster is set and preseason practices begin, the 13-year NBA veteran is expected to be instrumental for UK’s program.
“Mo brings a level of toughness, experience and authenticity that our players will immediately connect with,” Pope said in a statement Monday. “He’s been where they want to go, and he understands what it takes to get there. Beyond that, he’s a teacher of the game and a hard-nose competitor. I’m excited to have him and can’t wait to see the impact he’ll have on our program.”
Williams, who played his college ball at Alabama, appeared in 818 NBA regular-season games for seven different teams, earning All-Star honors with Cleveland during the 2008-09 season and winning an NBA title with the Cavaliers in 2016, his final season in the league.
The Mississippi native has been active in grassroots basketball — he led a Nike-sponsored program at one point — and started his college coaching career as an assistant at Cal State Northridge shortly after his playing days ended.
Williams was the head coach at Alabama State for two seasons and spent the past four years as the head coach at Jackson State. His son, four-star point guard Mason Williams, was originally committed to play for Jackson State before reopening his recruitment and committing to Kentucky last month.
Mason Williams can officially sign with the Wildcats on Wednesday, and he’ll join a group of returnees that’s expected to include Malachi Moreno, Kam Williams, Trent Noah, Braydon Hawthorne and Reece Potter.
Seven players from UK’s 2025-26 roster have entered the transfer portal, and Jayden Quaintance is expected to put his name in the 2026 NBA draft. Otega Oweh, the Cats’ leading scorer for both seasons of the Pope era, just concluded his senior season and will also be moving on to the pros.
That leaves several spots to fill for the 2026-27 season, and Williams will be an integral part of Kentucky’s recruiting efforts moving forward. UK is hosting two major targets — five-star transfer point guard Rob Wright and No. 1 high school recruit Tyran Stokes — on campus this week.
“I am excited to be joining the Big Blue Nation family,” Williams said in a statement Monday. “I couldn’t ask for a better opportunity and I’m extremely grateful.”
