Kansas basketball: Chris Johnson officially released from NLI

Former Kansas basketball commit Chris Johnson was released from his National Letter of Intent, meaning he’s officially able to open his recruitment back up.

It took a considerable amount of time, but the Kansas Jayhawks finally approved Chris Johnson’s release from his letter of intent at the university.

The 4-star combo guard who attended Montverde Academy was expected to move in on campus earlier this June, but he and his mentors were unhappy with Kansas bringing in several guards from the transfer portal. That led him to decommit last minute, putting the Jayhawks in a difficult position for next season with just ten remaining scholarship players.

Coming out of high school, Johnson was a top-75 player in his class and will be highly coveted, with final rosters being finalized soon. 247 Sports Composite rankings list him as the No. 52 player and the No. 11 combo guard in 2023.

After a strong showing in his junior year, Johnson slowed down a bit when he transferred to Montverde. In 25 games, he averaged 5.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.1 rebounds per game, according to MaxPreps.

Johnson has received interest from programs such as Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and many other Power 5 schools. He was connected to Alabama, UConn, Arkansas, and other schools before he committed to Kansas. The Razorbacks figure to be the favorites to land him at this time.

Although he never played a game in a Kansas basketball uniform, we wish him the best for his future and hope he pans out elsewhere. With his athleticism and intense defense, Johnson figures to be a starter by his junior year.`

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