'Kentucky until I die'

If there was any suggestion that John Calipari was the lone reason why Kentucky was landing 5-star recruits, the last couple of weeks have proven otherwise.

1. Another big recruiting win for Mark Pope

The latest high-profile prospect in the 2025 recruiting class to make a decision was Jasper Johnson, a consensus 5-star combo guard from Lexington, Ky.

That gave an edge to Kentucky, but it needed to convince Johnson that staying home was his best option. That meant saying no to the likes of Alabama and North Carolina, among others. That lure of playing in front of BBN proved to be the difference.

He’ll probably get a lot of playing time, too.

Four of Kentucky’s projected rotation guards are seniors, including ball-handlers Lamont Butler and Kerr Kriisa. It presents an opportunity for Johnson to play on the ball more as well compared to some of the other available options. The 6-4 lefty is a natural scorer with a great shooting touch.

This is the second top-30 prospect to pick Kentucky, joining center Malachi Moreno. Considering both were local targets, they were “must gets” for Pope in his first full recruiting class.

Rob Dauster and Field of 68 recruiting expert Ani Umana discuss Johnson’s impact and how Pope’s done thus far as a recruiter.

Getting these pickups sets the program to get potentially another top-3 recruiting class. It’s is in the mix for several other big-name targets, including 5-star center Chris Cenac Jr., 5-star combo Tounde Yessoufou, and 5-star forward Caleb Wilson. 

Other class of 2025 commitments from Thursday:

• Nevada got 3-star forward Blake Davidson, the brother of starting forward Nick Davidson.

• Saint Louis added 3-star frontcourt big Jax Kerr.

• VCU snagged 3-star center Silas Barksdale.

• Austin Peay picked up Jacorey Robinson.

2. UConn’s Big 12 bid shut down … for now

Everyone in the Big East can relax.

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