Kenny Payne recruiting the No. 1 overall players in certain states is becoming a trend. It started with Curtis Williams Jr., the No. 1 overall player in the state of Michigan (2023), then went to Trentyn Flowers, the No. 1 overall player in North Carolina (2023), then went to Ty-Laur Johnson, the No. 1 overall player in New York (2023), and now the same trend is happening in the Class of 2024.
The No. 1 overall player in the state of Wisconsin, Kon Knueppel, has scheduled a visit to Louisville, and now the No. 1 overall player in the state of Kentucky discusses his recruitment, which involves Louisville. 6-foot-2, 165-pound Jasper Johnson is his name and he currently plays for Woodford County High School in Versailles, Kentucky.
Johnson is a combo guard and highly skilled. In fact, he is also one of the Top 30 athletes in the nation. He averaged 20.1 points per game last season for Woodford County and is now playing on Team Thad in Nike’s EYBL circuit.
Team Thad is currently tied for the lead in Group A with a 14-3 overall record. Johnson averaged 12.8 points per game, during the Memphis session, while shooting 50% from the field and 41% from behind the arc. When asked about his relationship with the Louisville staff, he had this to say:
"“I’m cool with Coach (Nolan) Smith. I’ve been on campus before, and I liked their environment the night they beat Clemson. Coach says he needs players who work in his system, and they said I fit their style.”"
Jasper Johnson was in town on a visit to Louisville one of the four times they came out with a win. Kenny Payne extended a scholarship offer to him in January of this year, over the phone, and was on campus for a visit in February. When asked about his visit, he had this to say:
"“I went to watch them play Clemson. Kenny Payne is doing a good job. They started off pretty badly but they have been on a roll recently. He is building a good bond with me and I feel they are going to be a winning program in a couple of years. Nolan Smith has come to see me play and I have talked with him a couple of times.”"
His visit during the Clemson game was the second time he had been on campus, a source close to the situation confirmed. The first time he was on campus was for the red and white scrimmage in October 2022.
Louisville Head Football Coach Jeff Brohm has planted his flag in the state of Kentucky’s recruiting grounds and has landed some highly talented in-state recruits. And now Kenny Payne is on the right track to do the same with Jasper Johnson.