UNC Basketball Loses Another Major Recruiting Battle to Blueblood

The UNC basketball recruiting list for the class of 2025 remains empty after the announcement Thursday afternoon by five-star Overtime Elite (Ga.) point guard Jasper Johnson.

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Johnson, a 6-foot-4, 175-pound silky lefty who is ranked No. 10 overall in the 247Sports 2025 Composite, has committed to recruiting powerhouse Kentucky. The Lexington, Kentucky, native chose the Wildcats over the Tar Heels and three other finalists: Alabama, Louisville and Arkansas.

He’s been at or near the top of UNC basketball’s wish list since he received an offer from Chapel Hill last September. In addition to checking out the Tar Heels on an official visit in early February, coinciding with their home win over archrival Duke at the Dean E. Smith Center, Jasper Johnson returned for an unofficial visit the last weekend in June.

While fourth-year coach Hubert Davis and his Tar Heels have acquired several valuable players through the transfer portal this year, they haven’t had a win in the recruiting race since Ian Jackson, currently preparing for his first year, locked down the program’s 2024 class by pledging his allegiance in January 2023.

Regardless, Davis and company still have plenty of time to put together an impressive roster in 2025.

Only four of the top 50 prospects in the cycle have announced their decisions. But now, two of those awards belong to the Wildcats, as four-star center out of Great Crossing High School (Ky.) Malachi Moreno committed to first-year Kentucky coach Mark Pope over UNC and others three weeks ago.

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