Jasper Johnson transfers to prep powerhouse Link Academy
Lexington’s own Jasper Johnson, one of Kentucky basketball’s top recruiting targets in 2025, is taking his talents to Branson for the remainder of his high school career.
A Woodford County High School standout, Johnson tells KSR he has decided to transfer to prep powerhouse Link Academy, the 2023 GEICO Nationals champion. The top-25 recruit led the Yellow Jackets to the UK HealthCare Boys’ Sweet 16 state basketball tournament for the first time since 1986, averaging a team-high 20.1 points per contest as a sophomore.
“I just sat down with my family and we weighed our options,” he told KSR. “I feel like the prep route was the best thing for me, definitely for experience and more opportunities. It’s a national schedule, so there are more eyes I get to play in front of. I definitely think it’s another big step in my path and my journey in life.”
The intrigue is obvious. Existing for just two years, Link made it to the GEICO Nationals title game in year one and won the championship in year two, finishing the year with a 27-1 overall record. The Lions are led by first-year head coach Bill Armstong, who has led the charge in the program’s recruitment of Johnson, the No. 21 overall prospect and No. 1 combo guard in the 2025 class.
“I know Coach Bill (Armstrong), me and him have been in contact for a while, so we’ve been building a relationship,” he said. “He trusts me and I trust him. When I get up there, I’m going to do whatever I can to get better and help that program win.”
Winning is at the forefront of his decision, developing his game and body on a title contender, an opportunity to prove himself on high school basketball’s biggest stage.
“(I’m looking to prove) a lot (at Link), really. Being in the gym a lot more, I’ll get the opportunity to do that,” Johnson told KSR. “Working on my jump shot and working on my body, really. At the end of the year, I hope to be a repeating GEICO national champion and just a winning player. I want to bring winning to the program.”
His move to Link Academy also brings reclassification questions to the surface, as Johnson eligible to make the jump to 2024, paving the way for a potential college enrollment next summer. We saw a similar scenario unfold with five-star guard Elliot Cadeau, who won a title at Link this past season before ultimately reclassifying to play at North Carolina in 2023.
Will Johnson follow a similar path? That’s not the current plan, but a final decision will come at the conclusion of the upcoming high school season.
“As of right now, I’m sticking with ’25. I haven’t really put my thought into that, but as of right now, it’ll be the ’25 class,” he told KSR. “Going there, it lets me show the top players I can play against. I’ll sit down and weigh my options at the end of the season.”
Schools recruiting him don’t care either way, pushing the standout guard out of Lexington to join their respective programs whenever he’s ready to come.
“Schools tell me I’m their No. 1 priority, their top priority in their program. They can really bypass either or which class I go to, so I’m really taking that into consideration. For right now, though, I’m a ’25,” Johnson said. “But that plays a big part, how they feel about me, how the program and the staff feels about me. It just goes with trust. I feel like I can produce at either level, in either class, so it definitely makes me think better (of schools that believe in me).”
Johnson just wrapped up the Nike EYBL regular season, leading his Team Thad squad to a 14-3 overall record, good for the No. 3 seed going into Peach Jam in July. He averaged 12.3 points on 51.0% shooting, 40.3% from three and 83.3% at the line to go with 3.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per contest.
And he did it playing up a grade with 17U, proving himself as one of the best all-around guards on the circuit, regardless of class.
“I was hoping to prove I was the best guard in that ’25 class, the best point guard,” he said. “I feel like I’ve done enough, but the job’s not finished. We still have to go to Peach Jam and go for a run, definitely try to win it.”
Now, he’s participating in the 2023 Pangos All-American Camp, a prestigious invite-only event featuring 120 of the nation’s top high school prospects over three days in Las Vegas. On night one of camp, he showed off his shot-making ability and advanced feel for the game, a clear standout.
“It’s a great experience playing against a lot of the top players, playing in front of a lot of eyes and showing people what I can do on the court. It’s a great feeling, you know?” Johnson told KSR. “A lot of people where I’m from don’t get this opportunity, so I’m just taking it in.
“It’s a big opportunity, so I’ve got to stay focused and do what I do. I just want to be a team player, make the right plays. That’s what will help me go a long way.”
What is he hoping to prove on the big stage, one featuring NBA scouts and national media sitting courtside?
“Definitely a little bit of my IQ. I’m playing with players I’ve never played with before or met, so I’m trying to learn their advantages quickly,” he said. “Just picking up on them and knowing what we do best, getting them in their spots, giving them the ball so they can do what they do best.”
His recruitment continues to explode, recently adding a scholarship offer from Indiana. He added that Alabama, Cincinnati, Ohio State, Louisville, Memphis, Kentucky and North Carolina are among the other schools prioritizing him the most at this point. But don’t expect too much movement regarding major list cuts or a decision timeline quite yet.
For now, he’s just soaking it all in and taking things slow.
“It’s just about being patient with my options so I can sit down with my family and find the right place when the time comes,” he told KSR. “I haven’t really thought about (a decision) yet. … I don’t have any visits planned. I pushed off on those for a while, waiting on my options. I took some visits last season during the basketball and football seasons, so I’m just taking a break from all the travel, you know?
“Enjoying life right now.”
Plenty to enjoy as a clear blue-chip recruit now making the move to a prep powerhouse.
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