Mark Pope, the former Miami Hurricanes wide receiver who once ranked among South Florida's most sought-after high school recruits, was booked into Miami-Dade's Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on Thursday facing charges of armed robbery and aggravated battery. Pope, 27, grew up in Miami and starred at Miami Southridge High School before his college football career carried him through three different programs and briefly into Canadian professional football.
Records show Pope was arrested for armed robbery and also faces an aggravated battery charge, according to NBC 6 South Florida. The outlet reported that no further details of the arrest were immediately available. The circumstances of the alleged incident, including the location and any victims involved, have not been released by Miami-Dade authorities.
From Five-Star Recruit to College Journeyman
Pope's path to Thursday's booking began as one of the most hyped prospects in South Florida. He was rated the No. 67 overall prospect nationally in the 247Sports Composite for the class of 2018, while Rivals tabbed him a five-star recruit coming out of Miami Southridge, according to CanesWarning. He signed with the Hurricanes that year and went on to appear in 34 games for Miami between 2018 and 2021, per NBC 6's report, compiling 52 receptions for 680 yards and four touchdowns over that span, according to statistics compiled by Sports Reference.
His most productive year came in 2020, when he started 10 games and finished third on the team in receiving, per Miami's own athletics department. But playing time dried up in 2021, and Pope briefly shifted to defensive back during fall practices before that experiment ended and he entered the NCAA transfer portal that November, as 247Sports reported at the time.
A Winding Road Through Jackson State, UMass and the CFL
Pope transferred to Jackson State for a brief three-game stint in 2022 before landing at the University of Massachusetts in January 2023. There, he closed out his college eligibility as a redshirt senior, catching 33 passes for 420 yards and a touchdown across 12 games that season, according to UMass Athletics.
His college career behind him, Pope signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League in December 2024 as an American wide receiver, a move the team announced on its website. The Argonauts released him at some point during 2025, ending his brief run in professional football before Thursday's arrest in his hometown.
What Pope Could Face Under Florida Law
The armed robbery charge against Pope is a serious one under Florida law. Armed robbery committed with a firearm or other deadly weapon is classified as a first-degree felony punishable by up to life imprisonment under Florida Statute § 812.13(2)(a), according to Galanter Law. If prosecutors can prove a firearm was involved, Florida's “10-20-Life” mandatory minimum sentencing law would also come into play, carrying a mandatory minimum of 10 years in state prison, rising to 20 years if the weapon was discharged and 25 years to life if death or great bodily harm resulted, per the same firm's analysis.
The aggravated battery count Pope also faces is classified as a second-degree felony under Florida Statute § 784.045, punishable by up to 15 years in state prison and a $10,000 fine, according to Demmery Law. No court dates or bond details had been made public as of Thursday's booking.
Not the First Former Hurricane to Face Such Charges
Pope's arrest echoes a case from four years earlier involving another former Miami football standout. In March 2022, former Hurricanes and NFL running back Mark Walton was arrested in Miami-Dade County on an armed robbery charge tied to an alleged gunpoint theft of a Rolex watch, and he was booked into the same Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, according to Newsweek.
Pope's booking also comes just weeks after another South Florida college football arrest made headlines. In Lyle's felony arrest days after praise, active Miami Hurricanes running back Jordan Lyle was arrested in Broward County last month on felony charges of fleeing and eluding police at high speed alongside reckless driving, and was released after posting a $55,000 bond. Miami-Dade authorities have not released further details on the Pope case, and it remains unclear when he is expected to appear in court.
