UNC Basketball: Five-star guard Jasper Johnson isn't Chapel Hill bound...

The Jasper Johnson recruiting saga has finally ended. The five-star Class of 2025 shooting guard will stay within his home state as he's committed to the University of Kentucky.

This afternoon, Johnson announced his official decision in the Woodford County High School gym in Versailles, Kentucky. Johnson grew up in Lexington and attended Woodford County during his freshman and sophomore years, so this place is truly home for him.

Johnson was surrounded by family, friends, and excited Woodford County students, who erupted after seeing Johnson reveal a Kentucky Wildcats jersey. Nobody seemed prouder than Johnson’s father, Dennis Johnson, a former All-SEC defensive end at Kentucky. The commitment was live-streamed on the 247Sports YouTube account and CBS Sports HQ.

Johnson decided between his five finalists: Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisville, and North Carolina. However, in the past couple of months, this has really been a three-team race, with Alabama, Kentucky, and the UNC basketball program all making extensive efforts to land the elite guard.

Johnson’s back-and-forth recruitment was a whirlwind, being the most entertaining and unpredictable of the 2025 class so far. Alabama and North Carolina were the presumed leaders for Johnson for much of July and August. But in crunch time, Kentucky strongly surged and flipped the script. Kentucky Head Coach Mark Pope proved persistent in landing his hometown guy and — in the end — got the job done.

By the time Johnson set his official commitment date, crystal ball predictions had flooded in from 247Sports, Rivals, and On3 — each one projected Kentucky.

Johnson is ranked No. 12 in the Class of 2025, according to 247Sports. He’s one of the premier scorers in the class and the No. 2 ranked shooting guard. Johnson averaged 13.5 points per game as a junior for Link Academy and nearly 20 points per game in the EYBL Peach Jam circuit in July. He’ll play in the Overtime Elite program for his senior season.

For Kentucky’s 2025 recruiting class thus far, Johnson joins four-star center and fellow Kentucky native Malachi Moreno, the No. 3 ranked center in the class, according to 247Sports.

While disappointing, it's no shock that Johnson chose Kentucky. After all, he’s a Kentucky kid born and raised and a legacy kid following in his father’s footsteps. He had 11 total visits with Kentucky and only two with North Carolina, and one with Alabama. All signs pointed towards him being a Wildcat.

However, it’s not time to hit the panic button for the Tar Heels. Head Coach Hubert Davis and North Carolina are still in the mix for several talented 2025 guards, including four-star guards Acaden Lewis, Isaiah Dennis, and Derek Dixon. Dixon’s official visit to Chapel Hill is this weekend, Dennis’ official visit is September 28, and Lewis’ official visit is October 4.