Dennis Johnson Photo
Even though he thought it might happen, Woodford County sophomore Jasper Johnson was still “definitely surprised” when he got a Kentucky scholarship offer from coach John Calipari during his campus visit Friday.
“I thought it would eventually happen but it still did surprise me,” said Johnson Friday after leaving Calipari’s office.
Earlier this week he got offers from Missouri, Cal and Arizona State to go with ones he already had from Texas A&M, Louisville, Xavier, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Alabama, Memphis and Ohio State. He is a consensus top 25 player in the 2025 recruiting class and No. 1 player in Kentucky.
The 6-4 point guard has had a terrific start to the Nike EYBL season. Johnson is averaging 12.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.3 steals per game and shooting 54.1 percent overall and 40.7 percent from 3-point range in eight games. He’s a big reason Team Thad is 7-1.
Other 2025 recruits with a Kentucky offer are Darryn Peterson, Darius Acuff, Koa Peat and Meleek Thomas.
“I know I can continue to get better over the summer and hopefully help my team win Peach Jam,” Johnson said.
However, he also knows a Kentucky scholarship offer brings additional notoriety.
“I know that comes with it,” he said. “Pressure does not get to me but this offer definitely will get me in the spotlight and give me a chance to show what I can be.”
He admitted Friday his phone started “blowing up” as soon as his scholarship offer went public.
“I kind of expected that. It just kind of goes along with Kentucky basketball,” Johnson said.
Last season he averaged 20.1 points per game to help Woodford County win the regional title and reach the state tournament semifinals.
His father is former UK all-SEC defensive end Dennis Johnson, who also played in the NFL. He was named the 1997 national high school defensive player of the year by Sports Illustrated. He led the SEC in tackles for loss, sacks and forced fumbles in 2001 and was a third round pick of the Arizona Cardinals in the 2002 NFL Draft.
Dennis Johnson is the athletics director/head football coach at Woodford and admitted it was a “huge day” for his family Friday with the Kentucky offer going to Jasper.
“Jasper does not say a lot or show a lot of emotion but he cracked a few smiles with Cal in his office. I knew he really wanted this offer,” Dennis Johnson said. “He would never say but we all knew he wanted an offer from Kentucky.”
“Being from here, the Kentucky offer is different,” Jasper Johnson said. “The other offers still mean a lot to me. It means a lot that those coaches have reached out and believed in me. But I definitely appreciate the Kentucky offer.”
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LONG WAY OFF