Guard Jasper Johnson is a player that Kentucky basketball has been after since before the coaching change. He is from the state, and both John Calipari and Mark Pope thought he’d make a great Wildcat.
Johnson is a five-star guard, and ranked as the number ten overall recruit in 2025 by 247sports. He’s 6’4, 170 lbs and can score in bunches, and in a variety of ways.
Pope landed the top two players in the state of Kentucky for the 2024 season, and would love to land the top in-state recruit for 2025. He has been in contact with Johnson, and the soon-to-be Freshman had some nice things to say about the Wildcats coach to Kentucky Sports Radio.
Him coming in first year, he’s got high expectations, but they’ve built up a good roster and I’ll be interested to see what they do … He was in my shoes at one time, he played there. Knowing that he understands the game and that he believes in his players, as well — I know there’s a difference with the SEC, but they’ll have a good season this year.
Johnson will likely have offers from most of the top programs as the year progresses. He visited Kentucky once, but that was before Pope became the coach. He told KSR he plans to take more visits, but didn’t specify whether or not he’d visit Kentucky again.
Time will tell whether or not Johnson will end up a Wildcat. Fans would love to have him, but for now, Pope continues to build the trust with the recruit. As Johnson said:
We’re getting there.