“I picked LSU for their culture" ZaKiyah Johnson is excited to be a Tiger
LSU landed another five-star prospect, this time with ZaKiyah Johnson from Shelbyville, Kentucky. The Tigers beat out both in-state programs, Louisville and Kentucky for the No. 4 player in the 2025 class according to On3 and now has three top 25 commits in the cycle.
After choosing LSU on Instagram Live on the SC Next page, Johnson spoke about her decision and what LSU has to offer.
“I picked LSU for their culture,” Johnson said. “I know coach Mulkey and her players know what it takes to be on the big stage and win a championship and I want to be competing with player I hadn’t seen normally, living here in Kentucky my whole life. Now it’s time to explore and I love how they made it still feel like home.”
Johnson could have stayed close to home, with both Kentucky schools less than an hour away, but she was excited by the challenge of playing at one of the nation’s top programs and competing with the best talent day in and day out. Kim Mulkey was also present throughout this recruitment, along with assistant coach Gary Redus, helping paint a clear picture of what Johnson was getting by coming to Baton Rouge.
“I’m ready to be on campus and show who I am,” Johnson said. “I’m not a shy person, so you’re going to hear me. You’re going to see me at every event. I’m going to be everywhere, I’m going to be happy, and I’m gonna get buckets.”
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Johnson has been a dynamic scorer at every stop and now gets to bring her talent to the Tigers, a program that has a national championship and an Elite Eight appearance the past two years and is once again a top 10 team entering the year.
Johnson’s senior season is about to begin, but as a junior she averaged 18.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 2.1 steals while helping her team win a state championship. She has talked about being more of a leader this year as she further expands her game before heading to LSU for college to play for a hall of fame coach with an All-American roster.
“This journey has been so fun, but there are definitely challenges I’ve had to face and different roles I’ve had to step into as I got older,” Johnson said. “I’m just excited to be where I am now. I trusted my heart and knew God always has me and he’ll help me with the decision and I feel I made the right one.”
LSU now has Johnson, Divine Bourrage, and Bella Hines in its 2025 class and it may not be done yet. Stay tuned to The Bengal Tiger for the latest.
