Jaylen Johnson committed to Louisville Friday.
Jaylen Johnson had his choice of several of the country's top college basketball programs. He opted for the defending national champions.
The 6-foot-8, 210-pound Ypsilanti Community senior called Cardinals coach Rick Pitino Friday morning to offer his commitment for the 2014-15 season, ESPN is reporting. Pitino is being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend in Springfield, Mass.
Johnson can't sign his official letter of intent until Nov. 13.
He picked Louisville over offers from Michigan State, Oregon, Arizona State, Texas A&M, Miami and Iowa State, among others. He also reportedly took an unofficial visit to Michigan last month.
His mother, Janetta, recently said he planned to take all five of his official visits throughout the fall. But Friday’s commitment comes before any of them were taken.
Johnson averaged 13.8 points and more than eight rebounds last year, as he helped Ypsilanti reach the state quarterfinals.
His recruiting stature grew dramatically during the summer AAU camp circuit, playing at showcase camps like the LeBron James Skills Academy and with his AAU team, Dorian’s Pride out of Saginaw. He is ranked in the top 100 players nationally in the class of 2014 by all three recruiting services.
Kyle Austin covers sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kyleaustin@annarbor.com or 734-623-2535. Follow him on Twitter @KAustin_AA.