What’s the latest on Jasper Johnson’s recruitment with Kentucky, Alabama and North Carolina in the mix?

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — Jasper Johnson’s recruitment is winding down, a decision likely in the coming month, and his commitment could be a litmus test of sorts for three of the biggest brands in college basketball: Kentucky, North Carolina and Alabama. Also known as his parents’ alma mater, the other shade of blue blood and the SEC’s new powerhouse.

Johnson, a top-10 prospect in the 2025 high school class, grew up 15 minutes from Rupp Arena, the son of Dennis, a local legend and former football star at Kentucky. New Wildcats coach Mark Pope is eager to make Johnson his first five-star commit, evidence that Pope can recruit the kind of elite talent that predecessor John Calipari has assembled over the past 15 years. He’s not assuming a blue-chipper has emerged in the program’s backyard.

“He absolutely has to — he wants — to get that first big piece,” Dennis said. “He went to see Jasper play with USA Basketball in Argentina. He sat down with us in the office on a visit and talked for two hours. He called me the other day and we talked for 45 minutes. He’s made it very, very clear that he wants Jasper to be the first piece of this recruiting class.”

Pope’s problem? This doesn’t appear to be a 2-foot putt. Despite Johnson’s closeness to the program and his family’s loyalty — his mother is “the biggest Kentucky fan,” a cousin of former UK football star Craig Yeast — Johnson grew up a North Carolina basketball fan.

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“We went to Kentucky games when he was young, but he wasn’t just a diehard,” Dennis said. “He’s a different kid. Now that he’s so close, he understands the appeal of Kentucky basketball, but he just loves watching basketball, period, and he always really liked Carolina. When he met Hubert Davis, he just thought he was a great guy. I talk to that staff every day. We went to the Carolina-Duke game and that was one of the best things I’ve ever seen in my life. Seeing that, being in the front row, I think it just stuck something in his head.”

And then there’s the rising Tide. Under Nate Oats, Alabama won the SEC in 2021 and 2023, reached the program’s first Final Four last season and has produced six NBA draft picks in the past four years, including No. 2 overall Brandon Miller in 2023. Oats and his electric offense have become attractive to top transfers and five-star recruits. Now he has a chance to deliver an early blow to the approval ratings for Kentucky’s new coach.

Jasper Johnson (2) is being recruited by three of the biggest brands in college basketball: Kentucky, North Carolina and Alabama. (Stu Boyd II / USA Today)

“Their playing style is terribly big,” Dennis said. “Nate talked to him a lot about style of play and analytics. We got a chance to talk to Brandon Miller and he said, ‘I haven’t really gotten any better; it’s just that I stopped taking dumb shots because their analytics helped me know what shots were better.’ And they’re coming off a Final Four. I mean, come on. Nate sits in his office and points to the draft guys on his wall and the trophies and says, ‘Listen, you’re not going to be an experiment for me. I’ve done this.’”

Alabama assistant Preston Murphy is an elite recruiter and “I talked to Preston every day for two months,” Dennis said.

Pope is welcomed into the world of big-time recruiting. Johnson has made official visits to all three of the top prospects, plus Missouri and Illinois — and he could make another official visit to Arkansas, Calipari’s new home, before the decision is made. Louisville and Baylor are pushing for visits. Recruiting in these waters, there are no gimmes. Pope happens to be Johnson’s only serious suitor without a proof of concept, he’s won zero NCAA Tournament games and coached zero NBA draft picks.

“That’s always a question mark in my mind,” Johnson said.

But that doesn’t necessarily have to be a breaking point.

“The day we went up there, that night, I went into his room and he was sitting there watching some BYU video,” Dennis said. “He’s kind of trying to figure it out, trying to visualize how they’re going to use him. That’s definitely the style he wants to play. It’s going to be super tough to decide because right now Alabama, Kentucky and Carolina are probably neck and neck.”

Both Alabama and North Carolina have signed friends and former teammates of Johnson. Oats was the first major-league coach to seriously recruit him, the summer before his freshman season of high school. It’s easy to see why Johnson would leave home for college, but there are things those places just can’t offer.

“My mom wants me to stay home,” Johnson said. “She’s proud of me wherever I go and doesn’t really pressure me to stay home. (But) Coach Pope has really pushed me that I’m one of the best guards in the country, if not the best — that he wants me to stay home, but he also makes me a priority because I’m one of the best players in the class. He always tells me he wants to win a banner, too, and he sees me coming in and having a big impact from day one. That’s good to hear.”

The Johnsons have been hearing a lot lately. Dennis reached out to former Kentucky star Jeff Sheppard, whose son Reed has just made the journey from homegrown hero to Wildcats star to one-time lottery pick, for advice on how to handle the circus. Sheppard also happens to be Pope’s old college roommate in Kentucky.

“He’s been very supportive of us. He always says, ‘Do what’s best for Jasper,'” Dennis said. “It’s almost time. He’s going to make a decision sooner rather than later. Whether he goes to Kentucky or not, I want him to make the best decision for him, what he’s most comfortable with. Everyone I see, whether I’m out walking, playing sports or in the store, talks about Kentucky. But my dad let me make my own decision and he has to make his own decision.”

(Top photo: Stu Boyd II / USA Today)