5-star '25 CG Jasper Johnson is a top priority for Mark Pope, Kentucky
Mark Pope is all about bringing in dudes who want to play for the name on the front of the jersey. And that’s why he’s going all-in on high school junior Jasper Johnson, a native of Lexington, KY whose dad Dennis played football for Kentucky.
Johnson, a 6-foot-5 guard ranked No. 11 overall in the class of 2025 by the On3 Industry Ranking, attended Woodford County before taking his talents to the prep school world at Link Academy (MO) last offseason. He was offered by former Kentucky head coach John Calipari in May 2023 and was a top priority for the staff.
But with Calipari now at Arkansas, Pope is picking up right where the former Kentucky coaches left off. Pope’s staff is making sure Johnson knows he’s at the top of their wish list for the 2025 recruiting cycle.
“(Pope) said he might not recruit as many freshmen as Cal did but he wants me to be one of those freshmen that come in and (makes an) impact from day one,” Johnson told KSR in Memphis at the first Nike EYBL session of the summer.
Not only has Pope — just two weeks into his tenure as head coach — already been in contact with the Johnson family, but so have a couple of his assistants. Both Alvin Brooks III and Jason Hart have made contact.
There are previous relationships there with those two, as well. Brooks recruited Johnson to Baylor when he was an assistant with the Bears while Hart did the same as the head coach for the G League Ignite, which has since been shut down.
“It means a lot. Me being from there, I’m still gonna have interest in (Kentucky) for sure,” Johnson added. “I’ve been watching (Pope’s) playstyle at BYU and seeing what his offense has brought and I know he’s gonna bring in some recruits for sure and I feel like they’re gonna have a good season.”
Calipari won’t go down without a fight
Like Pope, Calipari didn’t waste much time recruiting Johnson at his new stop. Calipari and assistant coach Chin Coleman have already re-offered the talented guard and remain in regular contact.
Arkansas is one of the schools Johnson mentioned when asked which programs he hears from the most right now. He admitted it was strange seeing how Calipari’s move to Arkansas went down, but their relationship hasn’t changed much.
“It’s crazy, me being from Lexington, only knowing Coach Cal as being the head coach and now seeing him at a different school, it doesn’t really seem real but it is what it is,” Johnson said. “I know he’s still got the same plan for me as he did at UK as Arkansas. Just building that relationship still.”
When asked about his reaction to Calipari taking the job with the Razorbacks, Johnson shared the same shock that most of us did.
“I definitely didn’t think it was real,” He said. “I was in my room at Link (Academy) and I got the ESPN notification, I was like ‘Dang, that’s crazy’. But they had called my parents that night when it happened so they’ve been staying in contact with me.”
Johnson remains a hot commodity
With some significant coaching changes from a handful of the top schools talking with Johnson, his recruiting landscape has shifted a bit.
His head coach at Link Academy, Bill Armstrong, is being reported as a possible addition to Baylor’s staff. Louisville and Southern California both cracked his top 10 before Pat Kelsey and Eric Musselman, respectively, took over those jobs. Then, of course, there’s Calipari and Pope in their new roles.
“Louisville, North Carolina, Alabama, Baylor, Kentucky just started recruiting me pretty hard, Auburn been on me, and Ohio State,” Johnson said of the schools recruiting him the hardest. “Ohio State recently just started hitting me up.”
The plan as of right now is to commit by the end of the summer. Johnson will be back in Lexington in the coming weeks for the offseason, so quick trips to meet with Pope and his staff will be easy. He’s considering taking visits to Baylor, Southern California, and Louisville. In fact, Louisville’s Pat Kelsey already held a multi-hour-long meeting with Johnson’s parents not long ago.
North Carolina remains the top threat though. Johnson is in regular contact with head coach Hubert Davis and talks daily with assistant Sean May. He officially visited the Tar Heels in February, just a week before he did the same with Kentucky under Calipari. He’s also taken an OV to Auburn this year.
Pope will certainly still have his work cut out for him when it comes to landing Johnson, but he’s off to a great start. All Johnson has ever known about Kentucky men’s basketball is Calipari leading the charge. In that sense, Pope will have some ground to make up, but it shouldn’t take long to do so. Johnson is going to listen to every pitch.
“(My perception of UK) changed a little bit. Me not really knowing much about Coach Pope as well, that’s always a question mark,” Johnson said. “But I’ll be interested in how we build our relationship and stuff and seeing their gameplan.”
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