Pope says he understands lofty expectations at Kentucky (1:58)
Mark Pope tells “The Paul Finebaum Show” the Wildcats’ basketball program belongs to the entire state of Kentucky and Big Blue Nation, who expect national titles. (1:58)
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Jeff Borzello
Jeff Borzello
ESPN Staff Writer
- Basketball recruiting insider.
- Joined ESPN in 2014.
- Graduate of University of Delaware.
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Paul Biancardi
Paul Biancardi
Basketball Recruiting
- National Recruiting Director for ESPN.com
- 18 years of coaching experience at Division I level
- Former Horizon League coach of the year at Wright State
Sep 5, 2024, 02:43 PM ET
New Kentucky coach Mark Pope landed a statement 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 was a three-way battle between Kentucky, North Carolina and Alabama over the past few months. Coming out of the July period, Alabama was perceived to be the favorite, but Pope and the Wildcats surged over the final couple of weeks to emerge as Johnson’s destination.
While Johnson attended Link Academy (Missouri) last season and signed in July with Overtime Elite, he is a Lexington native who is heading home for college.
“Being from Lexington and playing for the home school, my city and state meant something to me,” he told ESPN. “Rupp Arena is a magical place.”
Pope and his assistants made their final pitch earlier this week.
“I got close to the staff. They were very consistent in the recruiting process. They took the time to get to know me,” Johnson said. “The whole staff came to my apartment at midnight on the first night coaches were allowed out. That was cool.”
A 6-foot-4 guard, Johnson is ranked No. 13 in the ESPN 100. He averaged 14.8 points per game for the Team Thad program on the Nike EYBL circuit during the spring before putting up 19.8 points in five games at the Nike Peach Jam in July. Johnson also helped lead the USA Basketball under-18 team to the gold medal at the FIBA AmeriCup in June, averaging 10.0 points per game and shooting 42.3% from 3-point range.
Johnson is one of the best pure scorers in the country, blending shotmaking, quick drives to the basket and creative finishes. His wingspan is close to 6-9, and he has shown the ability to guard the ball. His strength is spacing the floor with his 3-point shot. Johnson forces defenders to close out with the mindset to drive, and once in the lane, he has a dependable floater and makes his layups. His passing vision and natural game instincts allow him to play either guard position.
Pope has now landed two key in-state recruits to start his 2025 class, with Johnson following top-50 center Malachi Moreno, who committed in August. Johnson is the second-highest-ranked prospect in the 2025 class to commit at this point, with top-10 guard Darius Acuff (Arkansas) the only committed prospect ranked higher.
Other targets on Pope’s list for 2025 include Nate Ament (No. 4 in the ESPN 100), Caleb Wilson (No. 5), Chris Cenac Jr. (No. 7), Mikel Brown Jr. (No. 12), Tounde Yessoufou (No. 18) and Braylon Mullins (No. 24).
