The Kentucky Wildcats lost freshman Jasper Johnson to the transfer portal last week, so Mark Pope has been working heavily to stack the guard room. A familiar face is set to meet with Johnson in the coming days.
Former Wildcats head coach John Calipari, now at Arkansas, is showing interest in the Lexington, Kentucky native, per Larry Vaught. He’s one of at least five SEC coaches who are interested in the former Wildcat.
Earlier this week, On3’s Pete Nakos predicted Alabama to land Johnson, but it was
with low confidence.
“Alabama was a leader for much of his high school recruitment, and landing with Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide is very much in play. Johnson is a former top-25 recruit,” Nakos wrote.
Johnson, the former 5-star recruit, couldn’t find much rhythm in his first college season. He averaged 12 minutes per game, scoring 4.9 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists. Not the season Johnson or the Wildcats were hoping for, as the team was in desperate need of a backup ball handler with the injury of Jaland Lowe.
The Wildcats will seek to fill many roles after several departures from the 2025-26 roster as Pope looks to shake things up heading into his third season.
