By LARRY VAUGHT
Woodford County sophomore Jasper Johnson is a consensus top 25 player in the 2025 recruiting class and recently became just the fourth player to get a Kentucky scholarship offer to go with the dozen he already had.
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.
Johnson is not sure whether he’ll be back at Woodford next year after averaging 20 points per game last season when Woodford reached the state tournament semifinals or playing at a major prep school.
“I’ve still got a decision to make,” the 6-4 point guard said.
So what does he see as the advantage of going to a prep school?
“More eyes would be able to see what I can do, better competition day in and day out even in practice and a national schedule,” he said. “You can spend even more time on basketball.”
What about the plus side to staying at Woodford where his father is head football coach/athletics director?
“My coaching staff, I trust them. They have known me forever. Dad is at the school,” Johnson said. “I have been here and got a lot of things I wanted to accomplish done but there is always more you can do.”
Johnson has no timeline for a college decision but he knows he does not have long before he’ll have to decide about where he’ll play his high school junior season.
“It’s going to be a hard decision. I know that but it’s one I will have to make pretty soon,” he said.