5-star Jasper Johnson signs with Kentucky: "(He) is the most dangerous scorer in all of high school basketball."

Malachi Moreno was the first to sign with Kentucky to open the early signing period, then came Acaden Lewis. The third? Lexington’s own Jasper Johnson.

The consensus top-20 recruit has officially inked an agreement to play for Kentucky men’s basketball as a part of the NCAA fall signing period, the school announced Thursday.

The 6-foot-4 combo guard began his high school career at Woodford County High School in Versailles, Kentucky, where he helped lead the Yellowjackets to the semifinals of the KHSAA Sweet 16 in 2023, while also playing quarterback on the football team.

After spending his junior year at Link Academy in Missouri, Johnson headed to Atlanta where he is currently a part of the Overtime Elite program that produced Rob Dillingham, a top 10 pick in the 2024 NBA draft and current member Minnesota Timberwolves. In the early stages of the OTE 2024-25 season, Johnson is averaging 20.7 points, 6.3 assists and 7.0 rebounds per game.

Johnson is set to become a third-generation Wildcat when he arrives at the University next fall. Jasper’s father, Dennis, and his uncle, Derrick, both played football at Kentucky while his grandfather, Alvis, worked eight years in athletics administration at UK. Jasper’s father played in the NFL for both the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers and is now the current football coach and athletic director at Woodford County.

“Jasper Johnson is the most dangerous scorer in all of high school basketball,” Kentucky head coach Mark Pope said. “He has a panache and a flair that is going to be loved by all of BBN. He has a fearless mindset on the court and is also a massive gravity player, where the whole defense has to shift out to him at 27 feet. His family has a great legacy here at Kentucky and he may just write the most profound chapter of them all.”

Johnson played for Team Thad on the EYBL AAU circuit and was a standout at Peach Jam this past summer, averaging 19.8 points, 3.2 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals across five games. The lefty also won a gold medal with USA Basketball at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup in Argentina this past June, shooting a team-best 42.3 percent (11-26) from 3-point range.

Johnson chose Kentucky over a list of other finalists that included Alabama, Arkansas, Louisville and North Carolina.

“Coach Pope made a big commitment to spend a lot of time with me and speak to me,” Johnson said at the time of his commitment. “I feel like the trust was there between me and the coaching staff and being from Lexington, I feel like this was an easy decision. I’m K-Y ‘til I die.”

Jasper Johnson
Position: Guard
Measurables: 6-4, 175 pounds
School: Overtime Elite
Hometown: Lexington, Ky.  

Rivals ranking: No. 18 overall | Four-star prospect | No. 3 at PG
247Sports ranking: No. 13 overall | Five-star prospect | No. 3 at SG
ESPN ranking: No. 13 overall | Five-star prospect | No. 4 at PG
On 3 ranking: No. 29 overall | Five-star prospect | No. 8 at SG