Consensus five-star and top-15 2025 recruit Jasper Johnson cut his college list down to five schools. However, a historic SEC program has stood out consistently throughout his recruiting. Who is it?
According to Jaime Shaw of On3 on Wednesday, Johnson is now considering Kentucky, Alabama, North Carolina, Louisville, and Arkansas. That means the Lexington (KY) native, who previously released a top-10 list, is no longer considering Auburn, Baylor, Kansas, Missouri, USC, and WVU.
Top-15 2025 Prospect Jasper Johnson Slashes List From 10 To 5, Including An Overwhelming Favorite, Decision Expected By End Of Summer
Johnson, who recently announced that he will finish his prep career with Overtime Elite, holds 27 scholarships overall and is considered one of the top prospects in the class. However, the 6-4 combo guard has seen a drop in recruiting rankings over the last month as he was previously a consensus top-10 recruit and given a five-star ranking by all the major recruiting services.
Now, Johnson is ranked between No. 12 and No. 15 by all four major recruiting services and has been given five stars by three of them. ESPN has him ranked the highest at No. 12, while On3, the only service that has him a four-star, ranks him 15th.
Johnson’s game is predicated on putting the ball in the basket. He is a slasher who finishes well at the rim, though he struggles with shot selection, which really hurts his shooting percentages. He finished in the top 10 scoring at the EYBL Peach Jam at 19.8 points despite shooting 37.9% from the field and 25.5% from the three-point line.
Here is On3’s scouting report on Johnson:
Jasper Johnson is a lefty with nice size and good length. What he does is shoot the ball. Johnson has deep range that extends well beyond the three-point arc, and he is at he’s best in catch and shoot or with one/two dribble pull-ups. Would like to see Johnson tighten the handle, can struggle once he is in the paint, especially going right. Lacks blow by burst off the bounce at this point but he is a good straight line athlete with a head of steam.. Has a crafty lay-up package around the basket, especially with the left hand. Solid explosion with a running start. Can get beat off the bounce in the open floor on defense. Will use both hands to dribble, but most of the time it comes back to his left hand. The range extends well beyond the three-point arc. Plays with a lot of confidence. Can get you into sets.
Looking At Johnson’s Final Five Schools
Johnson has made campus visits to all five of his finalists. He took official visits to Kentucky and North Carolina in February while trekking to Alabama on June 22. He has also made unofficial visits to Louisville and Arkansas.
Johnson doesn’t have any more visits scheduled, though he told KSR at Peach Jam he hoped to take “maybe one or two more” visits ahead of his commitment, which is expected to be “in the next month or so.” Arkansas and Louisville are schools he is expected to receive these visits.
Here is a look at all five programs and his thoughts about each school, per ON3’s Joe Tipton. Kentucky, Alabama, and UNC are believed to be on equal footing.
Kentucky Wildcats
UK appears to be the overwhelming favorites for Johnson, as coach Mark Pope has pursued him hard since taking over the program. Johnson has made five visits (four unofficial) to campus, the latest being on June 18 and 20. He even took in “La Familia’s” (Kentucky’s entry) TBT third-round game at Rupp Arena a couple of days ago.
Plus, Johnson has a lot of ties to Kentucky. His father, Dennis Johnson, played football for the Wildcats in the early 2000s.
“Coach (Mark) Pope is telling me he wants me to be the first recruit to start his recruiting class in 2025. He’s always pitching to me he wants to hang a banner, so coming in and making a big impact from day one. He’s telling me he wants me to come in and have a big role on their team. Hearing that is good.”
Alabama Crimson Tide
Alabama has been “in on Johnson” the longest as the Crimson Tide were the first power-5 team to offer him. According to Brody Smoot of USA Today College Sports Wire, he is a priority recruit for coach Nate Oats. Two of Johnson’s teammates, Derrion Reid and Labaron Philon, are 2024 signees of Alabama.
In addition to his official visit to Tuscaloosa in June, Johnson made two unofficial visits to campus (February 2023 and June 2022).
“Coach (Nate) Oats, they produce every year at the guard position. They give their guards a lot of freedom, take a lot of threes. And they play defense, as well. Coach Oats has been recruiting me since my eighth-grade summer, going into my freshman year. They were the first Power Five school to offer me, so we’ve been building a relationship for a long time now.”
North Carolina Tar Heels
North Carolina has also been recruiting Johnson hard for a while. He has taken two visits to the Chapel Hill Campus this year. He was on campus officially in February and took an unofficial visit on June 26.
“Coach (Hubert) Davis tells me if he could get me now as a reclass, or stay (in 2025), he wants me whenever. He definitely says he wants me to play for him next year or whenever I want to. So him giving me that message and then coach (Sean) May is texting me and my parents every single day. Just building that relationship and that bond.”
Louisville Cardinals
Johnson has taken one unofficial to Louisville on February 17, 2023.
“Knowing I’m from Lexington, they want me to make that move to the other side. (The coaches) came to visit my parents at home, and they talked to them for about 2-3 hours. (Pat Kelsey) called me and gave me a speech of what he wants me to do. And his vision for me if I was to come there. We’ve just been keeping in contact.”
Arkansas Razorbacks
It is not surprising that Arkansas made the list due to coach John Calipari’s relationship with Johnson since his days at UK. However, he has not visited Arkansas’ campus since December 2022.
“It’s really the same message (now that Calipari is at Arkansas). Big time guards play for Cal, that’s what he always says. He asked me the question, ‘What do you want to be with this?’ and I was like ‘a lottery pick’ and he was like ‘that’s it?’ so I mean him saying he really wants me and what he can see for my future is a good thing.”
Who Is the Favorite for Johnson?
While it is believed that Kentucky, UNC, and Alabama are equals in On3, UK has a 75% chance of landing Johnson, while Alabama has a little less than 5% chance and Alabama a 3% chance. However, Shaw recently picked the Tar Heels as the winner, though his confidence level was only 35%.
I would be surprised if Johnson doesn’t end up in Kentucky, with Alabama being a close second.
