The Kentucky Wildcats have secured another Bluegrass product.
“BOOM!” as Cody Fueger would say after the Cats scored their second commitment of the 2025 class on Thursday in 5-star guard Jasper Johnson.
Johnson announced his commitment during a ceremony at his former high school in Woodford County. He becomes the highest-ranked commitment of the Mark Pope era, as well as the top recruit Pope has ever landed as a college coach.
A consensus top-25 recruit, Johnson is among the highest-ranked recruits from Kentucky in years. He’s currently ranked 22nd overall by On3, 13th by ESPN, and 12th by 247 Sports and Rivals. 247 Sports Composite, which measures all of the rankings, has him ranked 10th overall.
While he is from the state and has numerous family ties to the university, it was far from a ‘gimme’ recruitment for the Cats.
Johnson’s father, Dennis Johnson, played football for Kentucky as an All-SEC defensive end for the Wildcats, as did his uncle Derrick Johnson as a defensive tackle. His late grandfather, Alvis Johnson, worked at UK as assistant athletics director.
Despite this, Johnson grew up a North Carolina fan, while Alabama was also a major player in his recruitment. The Tar Heels and Alabama stayed a threat until the end. Over the last few weeks, there were varying reports that each school was in the lead.
However, the idea of playing at home (along with some additional NIL offers) came out on top in the end.
Johnson joins Malachi Moreno in Kentucky’s 2025 class, which, according to 247 Sports, raises the class ranking to second nationally.
Scouting Report
A left-handed combo guard with a wiry 6-foot-4, 175-pound frame, Jasper Johnson is a score-first player. With the ability to score from all three levels, Johnson is crafty around the rim and has deep range, though he’ll obviously need to bulk up a bit to handle the college game.
With a lot of confidence, he is not afraid to shoot it, sometimes too much, shooting less than 40% during Peach Jam this summer. That leads to his shot selection, which needs improvement, and the Kentucky staff believes they can help that by using screens, hand-offs, and cuts, which Johnson often used in EYBL and fits Pope’s offense.
Johnson can also run point and is a good passer, but he will need to learn how to impact games when he is off the ball. Defensively, he has good length; with a recorded 6-foot-9 wingspan, he can interrupt passing lanes. However, due to his lean frame, he struggles with more physical guards.
There’s been much debate as to what position Johnson will play in college, as he’s listed as a shooting guard at 247 and On3 compared to being a point guard at ESPN and Rivals. That said, he’s shown he can effectively play on and off the ball, so look for Kentucky to deploy him in both roles when he arrives in Lexington.
With Johnson now in the fold, Kentucky will host upcoming visits with Caleb Wilson, Braylon Mullins, Chris Cenac, and Tounde Yessoufou. All of these recruits could sign early, so there’s a chance Kentucky will make another addition soon enough and add to what’s already becoming a great class for Pope and Co. now that they’ve had a full cycle to recruit for the Cats.
Now, check out some highlights of the newest Wildcat in action!
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