Kentucky beats out North Carolina, Alabama for Jasper Johnson commitment

New Kentucky coach Mark Pope scored a big win on the recruiting trail Thursday as five-star guard Jasper Johnson announced his commitment to the Wildcats, who beat out North Carolina and Alabama for his pledge.

Arkansas and Louisville were also in Johnson’s final five, but it’s been a three-way battle between Kentucky, North Carolina and Alabama over the past few months. Coming out of July, Alabama was seen as the favorite, but Pope and the Wildcats have emerged over the past two weeks as Johnson’s destination.

Although Johnson attended Lynch Academy (Missouri) last season and signed with the Overtime Elite team in July, he is a Lexington native and will head home to attend college.

“As someone from Lexington and playing for the local school, my city and state mean a lot to me,” he told ESPN. “Rupp Arena is a magical place.”

The Pope and his aides made their final presentation earlier this week.

“I became close with the staff. They were very consistent in the hiring process. They took the time to get to know me,” Johnson said. “The whole staff came to my apartment at midnight the first night the coaches were allowed out. It was great.”

Johnson, who stands at 6 feet 4 inches, is ranked No. 13 on the ESPN 100. He averaged 14.8 points per game for Team Thad in the Nike EYBL during the spring before scoring 19.8 points in five games at the Nike Peach Jam in July. Johnson also helped lead the USA Basketball U18 team to a gold medal at the FIBA ​​AmeriCup in June, averaging 10.0 points per game and shooting 42.3 percent from 3-point range.

Johnson is one of the best scorers in the country, combining quick shots, quick drives to the basket, and creative shots. At 6-foot-9, he has shown his ability to guard the ball. His strength lies in creating space between players with his three-point shooting. Johnson forces defenders to close down with an offensive mindset, and once he gets in the lane, he has the ability to shoot from distance and make winning shots. His vision for the pass and natural instincts allow him to play either guard position.

Pope has now secured two key in-state recruits to start his 2025 class, with Johnson following Malachi Moreno, who committed in August. Johnson is the second-highest commit in the 2025 class at this point, with top-10 guard Darius Acuff (Arkansas) the only commit higher.

Other targets on Pope’s 2025 list include Nate Ament (No. 4 on the ESPN 100), Caleb Wilson (No. 5), Chris Cenac Jr. (No. 7), Mikel Brown Jr. (No. 12), Tunde Yesufu (No. 18) and Braylon Mullins (No. 24).