Recruiting update on 5-star AJ Johnson

AJ Johnson burst on the national scene after a stellar Pangos All-American. On3 moved the 6-foot-5 point guard to five-star status soon thereafter. He is now the 2023 On3 Consensus No. 15 player in his class.

Originally from Fresno, California, Johnson played at Woodland Hills (CA) Taft High last season. He will play his senior year at Los Angeles (CA) Donda Academy.

Johnson has three official visits he will take in September; Texas, LSU, and NC State. On3 first reported all but the NC State visit in June.

Johnson’s recruitment

Johnson has not taken any senior official visits yet. However, he does have the ones above set. He will go to Texas on September 10, LSU on September 17, and NC State on September 24.

Johnson originally had a visit set for September 3 to Southern California. That visit had been cancelled with a visit date still to be determined.

In Johnson’s words

“I’m going to be looking closely at the coaches who show the most love,” AJ Johnson told On3. “The ones I feel have my best interest in mind and want me to become a better basketball player and better person.

“I want to play in a system that lets me play fast and free and with a coach who will coach me hard. A coach who lets his guards play free will be big for me. Especially being a big guard, that lets me make more plays for the team.”

Thoughts and intel

Obviously, the four schools he is visiting are on top of the list. The general thought around the recruitment, heading into visits, is LSU and Texas.

Texas has targeted Johnson on, or near, the top of their recruiting board. Something to think of here, Johnson spends a lot of time in Texas. He is close with Jalen Green; they call each other cousins even though they are not blood-related. Johnson trains with Green and his trainer in Houston a good bit.

Johnson has gone on record saying he has developed the best relationship with the LSU staff. He also speaks ad nauseum about Ja Morant, understandably as a tall, lanky, and bursty lead guard. New LSU head coach Matt McMahon coached Morant at Murray State.

Southern California is bringing in Johnson, but do they have room for him with other point guards on their list? NC State is a wild card. New assistant coach Joel Justus did his work to get him on campus (their relationship started when Justus was at Kentucky).

A dark horse in this is Louisville. He has spoken highly of them since before he blew up. While he has not set a date with them, he has maintained he wants to go see them. Johnson speaks highly of new Louisville head coach Kenny Payne. Kansas is also working to get that fifth visit.

As things stand, before taking these visits, it feels LSU and Texas are out in front. A good visit to Louisville may change things up a bit.

Johnson told On3 in July he planned to commit around his birthday, December 1.

Johnson’s scouting report

AJ Johnson is a jet-fast point guard with elite end-to-end speed. He has great length and good size as a lead guard. Johnson will need to add weight; he is very skinny at this point. But his burst and explosion get him to his spots. Johnson is decisive getting downhill, using his dribble to attack the paint. Johnson has upside on defense with his length and quick twitch. The pull-up jump shot is a weapon in the mid-range. He is an above-average shooter that could continue to tighten. His natural tools are impressive, and as he continues to add weight, his ceiling is as high as any player in the 2023 class.