‘I’m KY ’til I die’: Five-star guard Jasper Johnson stays home, commits to Mark Pope and Kentucky
By SAM LANCE
Top-10 class of 2025 prospect and Lexington native Jasper Johnson will play for his hometown school Kentucky, he announced on Thursday at Woodford County High School in Lexington.
Johnson — the 6-foot-4, 175-pound guard from Overtime Elite and the Team Thad Nike EYBL AAU program — chose Mark Pope’s Kentucky Wildcats over Alabama, Arkansas, Louisville and North Carolina.
“Being from Lexington, Kentucky, I feel like that was an easy decision right there,” Johnson said live to 247Sports. “I feel like I’m KY ’til I die.”
This is now Pope’s second commitment in the 2025 class. Johnson joins top-25 prospect and big man Malachi Moreno. Only three players in the top-25 of 247Sports’ rankings are committed. Pope has secured two of them.
One source said Johnson’s NIL market value was in the neighborhood of $1.3-$1.5 million.
John Calipari first established the Kentucky relationship with Johnson, and he took an official visit to the Wildcats in February 2024. When Calipari left in early April — and Mark Pope was hired — the former BYU coach was quick to make Johnson a priority. He took an unofficial visit to the Wildcats in June and the relationship continued to build leading up to Johnson’s commitment.
“Coach Pope, they had a short period of time with the coaches switching,” Johnson said. “But like he made a big commitment, took a lot of time, spoke a lot with me. So I feel like the trust was there between me and him and the coaching staff.
Johnson continued:
“One thing you can’t give back is time. I know [Pope] had a short period of it, but I feel like he made me a priority with as much time as he was given. You know, just coming to see me, calling me and texting me. Not just him but the whole coaching staff.”
Johnson added it “means a lot” to suit up in the blue and white.
“There’s a lot of pride on the line with the name on the front of the jersey,” Johnson said. “I’m really excited about my decision and I’m ready to get started and represent Kentucky.”
Jasper’s father, Dennis Johnson, was a standout football player at Kentucky. Jasper used to play football and actually took a visit to Louisville as a football prospect before focusing on basketball.
This summer, Johnson helped Team USA secure a gold medal at the 5×5 U18 Men’s AmeriCup. He averaged 10.0 points and 2.7 assists in 15.9 minutes per game and shot a team best 42.3% from three-point range (11-26 3FG). Johnson starred for Team Thad at Peach Jam in July as well. He averaged 19.8 points, the ninth best scoring rate of the tournament. He will play his senior season at Overtime Elite.
“When I was recruiting Jasper, I was continually impressed by his ability to score at all levels,” said Aki Collins, the head of scouting, recruiting and retention for OTE. “He’s going to come in and make an impact right away in a very competitive environment and will continue to get stronger and hone his basketball IQ.”
Johnson is one of the most dynamic scoring combo guards in the 2025 class.
“Jasper has come in and already impressed coaches & basketball staff in the few short weeks he’s been here,” OTE GM and head of basketball Damien Wilkins told ZAGSBLOG. “He’s an incredible scorer, and with the resources of Overtime Elite at his disposal, he’s in the perfect place to continue to get stronger and develop his impact off the ball.
Johnson’s message to Big Blue Nation: “The main goal is to hopefully hang a banner. That’s what I really want to do. But just create excitement. I’m a blue grass kid being able to play for his hometown. It’s a great feeling.”
While Johnson and Moreno are secured, Pope is not done recruiting 2025 prospects. Kentucky is in the mix for several other top guys. Players set to visit include five-star wing Caleb Wilson (Sept. 13), five-star big man Chris Cenac (Sept. 27), five-star guard Mikel Brown Jr. (Sept. 27), five-star forward Tounde Yessoufou (Oct. 11) and top-25 shooting guard Braylon Mullins (Oct. 25). Updates on all those players can be found here.
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