Kentucky Wildcats freshman guard Jasper Johnson plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal when it opens on April 7, Jonathan Givony of Draft Express reported on Friday. The move will end a one-season stay in Lexington that fell short of early expectations for the highly praised recruit.
Johnson, a 6-foot-5, 180-pound guard and Lexington native, arrived with major hype as a consensus four-star prospect ranked inside the top 40 nationally. 247Sports ranked him as high as No. 24 overall, and Rivals Industry Rankings placed him at No. 25. For all that pedigree, his freshman production was limited. Over 35 appearances (playing in all but one of Kentucky's 36 games), Johnson averaged 4.9 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 12.0 minutes per game, shooting 40.0% from the field and 34.1% from three-point range, with a 50.3% effective field goal percentage.
The rigors of SEC play revealed cracks in his game. Johnson reached double figures in just five games overall and only twice against conference opponents. After logging at least 10 minutes in nine of the Wildcats 13 non-conference games, he did so only 12 times in 21 SEC contests. His role further diminished in the postseason, where he played a combined eight minutes in two NCAA Tournament games, including just six minutes in the Round of 32 loss to Iowa State Cyclones.
Johnson's best outing came in a win over North Carolina Central, where he scored a season-high 22 points on 6-of-10 shooting. He also flashed early promise with a 15-point performance in a preseason exhibition against No. 1 Purdue, but consistency remained an issue throughout the season.
His departure makes him the second Wildcat to enter the portal, joining Jaland Lowe. Kentucky is also losing backcourt pieces Otega Oweh and Denzel Aberdeen due to eligibility, leaving head coach Mark Pope with major gaps to fill.
The Wildcats finished the 2025-26 season 22-14 overall and 10-8 in SEC play, placing seventh in the conference. The program has now failed to reach the Elite Eight for six consecutive seasons.
