Local recruit Jasper Johnson trims list of potential colleges. Who is Kentucky up against?

One of the most celebrated prep basketball stars to emerge from Central Kentucky in recent years has narrowed his college recruitment, and the Kentucky Wildcats are still an option.

Star class of 2025 guard Jasper Johnson — who previously played at Woodford County High School before transferring to prep powerhouse Link Academy (Missouri) — released a list of 10 schools in his college recruitment on Thursday.

Unsurprisingly, UK made the cut for Johnson. The other schools on the guard’s shortlist are Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, Kansas, Louisville, Missouri, North Carolina, Southern California and West Virginia.

Earlier this month, Johnson told the Herald-Leader what separated these schools in his recruitment.

“Really the communication with them (and) my family. Staying in touch. Their plan for me,” Johnson said while at the Hoophall Classic in Massachusetts. “I plan on being in college for hopefully 10 months and then going to the league. I mean, that’s the plan so. Just a coaching staff that’s really investing and bought into me.”

According to On3.com, Johnson will take an official visit to Kentucky the weekend of Feb. 10. That falls between scheduled visits to North Carolina the weekend before and to Auburn the weekend after.

Kentucky hosts Gonzaga on Feb. 10 at Rupp Arena.

Ranked as a five-star prospect in the 2025 recruiting cycle by ESPN, Rivals and 247Sports, Johnson enjoys deep family connections to UK.

His father is Dennis Johnson, the former Harrodsburg, University of Kentucky and NFL football player who is now the head football coach and athletic director at Woodford County. Johnson’s uncle, Derrick Johnson, also played football for the Cats.

Johnson’s prep basketball career began in Central Kentucky at Woodford County High School: He was the engine behind the Yellow Jackets’ special 2022-23 season, as they won the 8th Region championship for the first time since 1986 before going on to reach the semifinals of the Sweet 16 state tournament.

Following that season, Johnson opted to leave the commonwealth for his junior season. He enrolled at Link Academy, a prep basketball powerhouse based in Branson, Missouri, that won the 2023 GEICO Nationals championship.

This move came on the heels of an impressive campaign on the Nike EYBL travel basketball circuit with Team Thad: Johnson averaged 12.3 points per game and shot 40.3% from 3-point range.

Thus far in his junior season, Johnson has stacked together a number of standout performances, including a 14-point, four-rebound outing at the Hoophall Classic.

Following recent rankings updates, Johnson is ranked as the No. 12 overall prospect in the 2025 recruiting class, per the 247Sports Composite.

In multiple conversations with the Herald-Leader, Johnson stressed his desire to become a better off-ball player as a major factor in his decision to move to Link.

“Just really long hours in the gym. I know that was my biggest reason for moving, to focus on basketball more. Just staying in the gym, being consistent with what I do,” Johnson said earlier this month. “Just keeping on working with my coaches, watching a lot of film, seeing the things I could get better at each and every game. So, just staying locked in on the journey for the whole season.”

This is the same sentiment Johnson expressed late last year when he was still adjusting to life at Link.

“The move from Woodford to Link Academy I feel like has really helped me a lot in my development. ... Definitely the level of competition, each and every day, not only games but practice, that was one of the big pushes for me to go to Link,” Johnson told the Herald-Leader in October at a USA Basketball national team minicamp in Colorado.

“... Learning how to move without the ball and get open, be effective without the ball in my hands as well. On both ends of the floor.”

So far, it seems like the move has paid off handsomely.

In December, Johnson impressed with his distance shooting during the prestigious City of Palms Classic in Florida. But Johnson’s most noteworthy Link Academy performance to date came back where it all started in Versailles.

On Jan. 7, Johnson and Link Academy throttled Huntington Prep (West Virginia) 90-52 in a showcase game held at Woodford County High School, Johnson’s old home gym.

Johnson scored 37 points and made 10 3-pointers in the decisive win, which came against a Huntington Prep squad that features a prized class of 2025 UK guard recruit of its own in Darryn Peterson.

The game was played as part of an event honoring Johnson’s grandfather, Alvis Johnson, the legendary Harrodsburg High School football coach, educator and administrator who died last summer.

“This is where I started my high school career. (Woodford County) did a lot for me, the community. I wanted to come out and put on a show for them,” Johnson said postgame.

The marquee performance also occurred in front of a star-studded group of college basketball personalities.

Kentucky head coach John Calipari and assistant coach Chin Coleman, North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis and assistant coach Sean May, Missouri head coach Dennis Gates and assistant coach Kyle Smithpeters, West Virginia interim head coach Josh Eilert and Louisville assistant coach Nolan Smith were all on hand for the contest.

Also in the gym were plenty of members of the current 2023-24 UK men’s basketball team, including Justin Edwards, Antonio Reeves, Reed Sheppard, Adou Thiero and D.J. Wagner.

“Really my IQ. I’m sitting and watching a lot of film, seeing what I’m really doing on the court, what I’m not doing. Just adjusting a few things each and every play that can take me from average to above average,” Johnson said of his development from playing on Team Thad and at Link Academy.

“... Just watching film and making sure I’m in the right place at the right time.”

Jasper Johnson part of 2025 recruiting for Kentucky

Johnson — who picked up a Kentucky scholarship offer in May 2023 — has already taken official visits to Missouri and West Virginia. He was at UK’s Big Blue Madness event in October.

Johnson has also been on unofficial visits to Alabama and Louisville.

Johnson has long been rumored as a potential reclassification candidate to move from the 2025 to the 2024 recruiting group, but he’s repeatedly indicated he plans to stay in the 2025 recruiting class.

What will be the most important factors for Johnson when it comes time to make his college choice?

“I plan on being there one year at most, hopefully. So, going to a college where I know I can develop, go through failure, know my coaching staff is going to trust me,” Johnson said. “Just somewhere I feel comfortable and my family feels smart with the decision with me playing at. Just somewhere where I know I can make mistakes, and still be able to push through and help win games.”

Kentucky currently has no commitments in the 2025 recruiting class, but the Wildcats have extended 10 scholarship offers to players in that group.

While he no longer plays high school basketball in the commonwealth, Johnson is nonetheless part of a revitalization of top college basketball talent that is coming from Kentucky.

Current Kentucky star freshman guard Reed Sheppard (2023) and Lyon County standout guard Travis Perry (a 2024 Kentucky signee) may be the household names, but Johnson and others are showing that a multi-year run of top recruits from Kentucky is in the cards.

Other current high school star recruits from Kentucky include class of 2025 center Malachi Moreno (Great Crossing) and class of 2026 power forward Tyran Stokes, who plays at Prolific Prep (California) but was born in Louisville.

Stokes is the top-ranked recruit in the 2026 class.