Jasper Johnson discusses how Mark Pope swayed him to Kentucky
Pope repeatedly told Johnson he was “born” to coach him.
The Kentucky Wildcats got a massive recruiting win Thursday, adding 5-star talent Jasper Johnson to their list of names coming to Lexington next season.
The Overtime Elite guard had virtually every program in the nation offering him. 247 Sports dubbed him the second-best shooting guard in the class of 2025. Alabama and North Carolina were the top contenders in pursuit of Johnson.
Thankfully, Johnson ended up choosing Kentucky
Thankfully, Johnson ended up choosing Kentucky, and a big reason was Mark Pope’s clear dedication while on the recruiting trail and the fact that Pope told Johnson he was born to coach him.
“Coach Pope always tells me he feels like he was born to coach me,” Johnson said during his commitment ceremony. “Hearing him say that, and his level of commitment that he gave to me within a couple of months…it means a lot to me. I can’t wait to get started.
I know they’re gonna have a plan for me, but just building our relationship is what we’re focused on right now.”
With a roster mainly comprised of transfer players this upcoming season, continuing that legacy of being an elite recruiting program should’ve been paramount for Pope, and it clearly was.
Teaming Johnson up with 4-star center and Kentucky commit Malachi Moreno will be huge for the Cats. The bigger picture is that Pope continues to be able to keep talent that grew up in Kentucky from heading elsewhere to play collegiate ball.
Pope has impressed as a recruiter. Now, let’s just hope he puts on a similar show as Kentucky’s head coach in just a few months.
