Kentucky Wildcats freshman guard Jasper Johnson intends to join the NCAA transfer portal when it opens on April 7, Jonathan Givony of Draft Express revealed on Friday. The transfer will put an end to a one-season stint in Lexington, which fell short of early hopes for the highly touted recruit.
Johnson, a 6-foot-5, 180-pound guard and Lexington native, joined with considerable hoopla as a consensus four-star recruit placed among the top 40 nationally. 247Sports rated him as high as No. 24 overall, while the Rivals Industry Rankings placed him at No. 25. Despite his background, his rookie productivity was restricted. Johnson averaged 4. 9 points, 1. 1 rebounds, and 1. 6 assists in 12. 0 minutes per game in 35 appearances (playing in all but one of Kentucky’s 36 games), shooting 40. 0% from the field, 34. 1% from three-point range, and a 50. 3% effective field goal percentage.
The intensity of SEC competition exposed flaws in his game. Johnson achieved double figures in just five games overall and only twice against conference opponents. In nine of the Wildcats’ 13 non-conference games, he played at least 10 minutes, but just 12 times in 21 SEC games. His participation diminished during the postseason, when he played a total of eight minutes in two NCAA Tournament games, including only six minutes in the Round of 32 defeat to the Iowa State Cyclones.
Johnson’s greatest performance was in a victory against North Carolina Central, where he scored a season-high 22 points on 6-of-10 shooting. He also showed early potential with a 15-point performance in a preseason exhibition against No. 1 Purdue, but consistency was an issue throughout the season.
His departure makes him the second Wildcat to enter the portal, following Jaland Lowe. Kentucky is also losing backcourt players Otega Oweh and Denzel Aberdeen due to eligibility, giving head coach Mark Pope some big holes to fill.
The Wildcats concluded the 2025-26 season with a 22-14 overall record and a 10-8 record in SEC play, finishing seventh in the conference. The program has failed to make the Elite Eight for the sixth consecutive season.
