Five-Star Recruit Jasper Johnson Eliminates Illinois From College Options

Anthony Pasciolla | Jul 24, 2024

Team Thad’s Jasper Johnson (2) jumps in the air to dunk the ball during a game against Team Oak Soldiers during the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League session one on Saturday, April 27, 2024 at the Memphis Sports & Event Center in Memphis, Tenn. / Stu Boyd II-The Commercial Appeal / USA

The Illinois Fighting Illini's hopes of landing five-star recruit Jasper Johnson are over, as he cut his list to the final five schools Wednesday.

The Illini are not part of Johnson's final group revealed on Instagram, but instead, the Arkansas Razorbacks, Kentucky Wildcats, Alabama Crimson Tide, Louisville Cardinals, and North Carolina Tar Heels.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tipton Edits (@tiptonedits)

This is a bigger loss than expected for coach Brad Underwood and Co. after guard Jeremiah Fears de-committed earlier this month. The Wildcats seem like the obvious choice due to their ability to produce star guards in the NBA, highlighted by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Tyrese Maxey, and De'Aaron Fox.

The combo guard thrives off his ability to score on all three levels, with shades of James Harden and D'Angelo Russell. He will highlight the 2025 recruiting class for whichever school he chooses.

"He’s been great," said his former high school coach Bill Armstrong. “I think he’s our second-leading scorer, leads us in 3-pointers made. He’s really, really improved defensively. That’s where he’s taken the right step in the right direction over the last month. Offensively, he’s one of the best players in the country."

The No. 12 ranked player in the class of 2025 by 247Sports is expected to play his senior season at Overtime Elite, an up-and-coming league producing immense amounts of NBA talent. Some of their most recent NBA selections include the Thompson twins and Alex Sarr.

Anthony Pasciolla works as a contributing writer to Illinois Fighting Illini On SI. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com or follow him on X @AnthonyPasci.

Follow our coverage and updates on Facebook

X: @IlliniNowOnSI