University of Georgia Athletics
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Georgia Inks Top-10 Recruiting Classes(es)
May 28, 2024 | Men's Basketball
Bulldogs are only program with top-10 freshman, transfer groups
ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia Basketball is currently the only program in the nation with both its high school and transfer recruiting classes ranked among the top-10 nationally by On3.com.
The Bulldogs have signed a pair of top-50 prep prospects – Somtochukwu "Somto" Cyril and Asa Newell – who are ranked as the No. 9 recruiting class by On3.
Georgia has inked five newcomers via the transfer portal – Justin Abson, RJ Godfrey, Tyrin Lawrence, Dakota Leffew and De'Shayne Montgomery. That quintet is listed as the No. 6 group of recruits by On3.
The Bulldogs' top-10 efforts comes a year after Georgia was one of three programs to have both its prep and transfer groups tabbed as top-20 classes by On3. Cyril and Newell will join current Bulldogs Blue Cain, Silas Demary Jr. and Dylan James, who were top-100 prospects in the Class of 2023, to give Georgia five top-100 signees from last two years.
Five of the signees have previous ties to the state of Georgia. Abson, Cyril, Godfrey, Lawrence and Leffew played high school basketball in Georgia, while Newell lived in Athens as a youth before moving to Florida.
Abson, 6-9, 235-pound junior forward from Pompano Beach, Fla., was the 2024 Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year at Appalachian State. Over the past two seasons, he started 56 of 66 games played and compiled 446 points (7.1 ppg), 428 rebounds (6.5 rpg) and 166 blocked shots (2.5 bpg) while shooting 61.3 percent from the field. Abson ranked among the top 20 nationally in blocked shots as both a freshman and a sophomore. Last season, he ranked No. 5 at 2.8 bpg, leading the Mountaineers to a nation-leading average of 6.8 bpg. As a freshman, Abson ranked No. 19 nationally at 2.2 bpg.
Cyril, a 6-10, 252-pound center originally from Enugu, Nigeria, has played with the Overtime Elite program in Atlanta for the past two seasons. He is a consensus four-star prospect ranked as high as No. 42 by On3.com in the Class of 2024, as well as No. 46 by 247Sports.com, No. 49 by ESPN.com and No. 53 by Rivals.com. Cyril averaged 8.1 points and 7.4 rebounds during his OTE career and led the league in blocks both seasons. He helped lead RWE to a fourth-place finish in the regular season before the team defeated the top 2 seeds in the playoffs to capture the 2024 OTE Championship.
Godfrey, a 6-8, 228-pound junior forward from Suwanee, Ga., averaged 6.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting 59.4 percent from the field for Clemson last season. After averaging 5.8 ppg in the first 32 games, he contributed 8.3 ppg in the Tigers' run to the "Elite Eight" of the NCAA Tournament. A two-time first-team All-State player at North Gwinnett High School in 2021 and 2022, Godfrey helped the Bulldogs win three Region championships and reach the quarterfinals of Georgia's Class 7A state tournament in 2020, 2021 and 2022. He was tabbed 2022 Gwinnett Country Player of the Year by the Gwinnett Daily Post.
Lawrence, a 6-4, 200-pound graduate transfer guard from Monticello, Ga., started 79 of 104 games played for Vanderbilt over the past four seasons, including 61 of 63 contests as a junior and senior. He wrapped up his career with the Commodores with exactly 1,000 points (9.6 ppg) as well as 385 rebounds, 134 assists and 96 steals. Lawrence was the 2019 Georgia Class 3A Player of the Year at Morgan County High School, where capped his prep career by leading the Bulldogs to the Georgia 3A state title as a senior in 2019. He was twice named all-state by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, earning first-team honors in 2019 after being a second-team selection in 2018.
Leffew is a 6-5, 185-pound graduate transfer guard originally from Hampton, Ga., who was a first-team All-MAAC (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) performer at Mount St. Mary's last season. Leffew started all 61 games played at Mount St. Mary's over the past two seasons. He averaged 13.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists as a junior before upping those contributions to 17.6 points, 4.3 boards and 3.9 assists during 2023-24. He scored 26 points in the Mountaineers' game at Georgia last season. Leffew helped Jonesboro High School reach the semifinals of the Georgia's Class 6A state tournament in 2018 and the round of 16 in the Class 5A bracket in 2019.
Montgomery, 6-4, 190-pound sophomore guard from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., voted named Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Rookie of the Year last season at Mount St. Mary's. He averaged 12.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and a team-leading 1.7 steals per game for the Mountaineers and was named the MAAC Rookie of the Week a school-record six times. Montgomery notched nine 20-point performances, including a 23-point showing against Georgia. He played for Hargrave Military Academy's postgraduate team which finished 44-2 during 2022-23 season. He was tabbed second-team All-Broward County by the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel as a senior at Somerset Prep Academy Charter School.
Newell is a 6-10, 215-pound,power forward from Destin, Fla., who is rated among the nation's top-15 prospects by every major recruiting service. He is the second-highest ESPN.com and third-highest 247Sports.com ranked recruit to sign with Georgia during the internet era. He trails only Anthony Edwards (No. 4 in 2019) on the ESPN ledger and only Edwards (No. 2) and Lou Williams (No.6 in 2005) in the 247Sports composite. Newell was a member of USA National Teams each of the past two summers, competing in the 2022 U17 and 2023 U19 World Cups. He also posted a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds to help Team USA defeat Team World, 98-75, in the 2024 Nike Hoop Summit in April.
Head coach Mike White enters his third season with the Bulldogs looking to continue the program's upward trajectory. During his first season, Georgia improved its regular-season win total by 10 victories, the second-largest increase of any Power conference program. The Bulldogs advanced to the semifinals of the NIT during White's second campaign in Athens, securing Georgia's first postseason bid since 2017 en route to its first 20-win season since 2016.
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The Bulldogs have signed a pair of top-50 prep prospects – Somtochukwu "Somto" Cyril and Asa Newell – who are ranked as the No. 9 recruiting class by On3.
Georgia has inked five newcomers via the transfer portal – Justin Abson, RJ Godfrey, Tyrin Lawrence, Dakota Leffew and De'Shayne Montgomery. That quintet is listed as the No. 6 group of recruits by On3.
The Bulldogs' top-10 efforts comes a year after Georgia was one of three programs to have both its prep and transfer groups tabbed as top-20 classes by On3. Cyril and Newell will join current Bulldogs Blue Cain, Silas Demary Jr. and Dylan James, who were top-100 prospects in the Class of 2023, to give Georgia five top-100 signees from last two years.
Five of the signees have previous ties to the state of Georgia. Abson, Cyril, Godfrey, Lawrence and Leffew played high school basketball in Georgia, while Newell lived in Athens as a youth before moving to Florida.
Abson, 6-9, 235-pound junior forward from Pompano Beach, Fla., was the 2024 Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year at Appalachian State. Over the past two seasons, he started 56 of 66 games played and compiled 446 points (7.1 ppg), 428 rebounds (6.5 rpg) and 166 blocked shots (2.5 bpg) while shooting 61.3 percent from the field. Abson ranked among the top 20 nationally in blocked shots as both a freshman and a sophomore. Last season, he ranked No. 5 at 2.8 bpg, leading the Mountaineers to a nation-leading average of 6.8 bpg. As a freshman, Abson ranked No. 19 nationally at 2.2 bpg.
Cyril, a 6-10, 252-pound center originally from Enugu, Nigeria, has played with the Overtime Elite program in Atlanta for the past two seasons. He is a consensus four-star prospect ranked as high as No. 42 by On3.com in the Class of 2024, as well as No. 46 by 247Sports.com, No. 49 by ESPN.com and No. 53 by Rivals.com. Cyril averaged 8.1 points and 7.4 rebounds during his OTE career and led the league in blocks both seasons. He helped lead RWE to a fourth-place finish in the regular season before the team defeated the top 2 seeds in the playoffs to capture the 2024 OTE Championship.
Godfrey, a 6-8, 228-pound junior forward from Suwanee, Ga., averaged 6.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting 59.4 percent from the field for Clemson last season. After averaging 5.8 ppg in the first 32 games, he contributed 8.3 ppg in the Tigers' run to the "Elite Eight" of the NCAA Tournament. A two-time first-team All-State player at North Gwinnett High School in 2021 and 2022, Godfrey helped the Bulldogs win three Region championships and reach the quarterfinals of Georgia's Class 7A state tournament in 2020, 2021 and 2022. He was tabbed 2022 Gwinnett Country Player of the Year by the Gwinnett Daily Post.
Lawrence, a 6-4, 200-pound graduate transfer guard from Monticello, Ga., started 79 of 104 games played for Vanderbilt over the past four seasons, including 61 of 63 contests as a junior and senior. He wrapped up his career with the Commodores with exactly 1,000 points (9.6 ppg) as well as 385 rebounds, 134 assists and 96 steals. Lawrence was the 2019 Georgia Class 3A Player of the Year at Morgan County High School, where capped his prep career by leading the Bulldogs to the Georgia 3A state title as a senior in 2019. He was twice named all-state by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, earning first-team honors in 2019 after being a second-team selection in 2018.
Leffew is a 6-5, 185-pound graduate transfer guard originally from Hampton, Ga., who was a first-team All-MAAC (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) performer at Mount St. Mary's last season. Leffew started all 61 games played at Mount St. Mary's over the past two seasons. He averaged 13.1 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists as a junior before upping those contributions to 17.6 points, 4.3 boards and 3.9 assists during 2023-24. He scored 26 points in the Mountaineers' game at Georgia last season. Leffew helped Jonesboro High School reach the semifinals of the Georgia's Class 6A state tournament in 2018 and the round of 16 in the Class 5A bracket in 2019.
Montgomery, 6-4, 190-pound sophomore guard from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., voted named Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Rookie of the Year last season at Mount St. Mary's. He averaged 12.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and a team-leading 1.7 steals per game for the Mountaineers and was named the MAAC Rookie of the Week a school-record six times. Montgomery notched nine 20-point performances, including a 23-point showing against Georgia. He played for Hargrave Military Academy's postgraduate team which finished 44-2 during 2022-23 season. He was tabbed second-team All-Broward County by the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel as a senior at Somerset Prep Academy Charter School.
Newell is a 6-10, 215-pound,power forward from Destin, Fla., who is rated among the nation's top-15 prospects by every major recruiting service. He is the second-highest ESPN.com and third-highest 247Sports.com ranked recruit to sign with Georgia during the internet era. He trails only Anthony Edwards (No. 4 in 2019) on the ESPN ledger and only Edwards (No. 2) and Lou Williams (No.6 in 2005) in the 247Sports composite. Newell was a member of USA National Teams each of the past two summers, competing in the 2022 U17 and 2023 U19 World Cups. He also posted a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds to help Team USA defeat Team World, 98-75, in the 2024 Nike Hoop Summit in April.
Head coach Mike White enters his third season with the Bulldogs looking to continue the program's upward trajectory. During his first season, Georgia improved its regular-season win total by 10 victories, the second-largest increase of any Power conference program. The Bulldogs advanced to the semifinals of the NIT during White's second campaign in Athens, securing Georgia's first postseason bid since 2017 en route to its first 20-win season since 2016.
For information on purchasing new season tickets for the Bulldogs click here.
To request information on tickets to Georgia Basketball click here.
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