Mike White and the Dawgs keep the momentum rolling, securing elite junior Jacob Wilkins

October 31, 2023 by Max Feldman

THE LEAD

Jacob Wilkins, the 38th overall prospect in 2025, has committed to Georgia. The son of Dominique Wilkins, former UGA great, chose the Bulldogs over Virginia.

BACKGROUND

Wilkins burst onto the national scene this past spring and quickly became one of the key 2025's to get eyes on in EYBL play. The 6-8 athlete is the son of 9 time NBA All-Star Dominique Wilkins and has a wealth of high level basketball genetics. A native of Georgia, Wilkins is UGA's first vow in 2025 and just the 6th Top-150 2025 to make his commitment. In 13 games with the E16 Georgia Stars, he put up 9.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.4 stocks per game.

WHAT'S NEXT?

It's a nice start to 2025, but the Dawgs still have more work to do in 2024 after locking down Top-10 prospect Asa Newell last week. Derrion Reid and Khani Rooths are at the top of the board, with momentum potentially creeping UGA's way with Reid the longer his recruitment plays out. About two weeks ago, all signs points towards the Tide for the Prolific Prep (CA) wing. Now, the buzz is around Mike White, Antonio Reynolds Dean and the Dawgs. Rooths will officially visit Michigan this weekend, and then should be in decision-making mode.

MY TAKE

I zoomed in closely on Wilkins summer a few weeks ago through an analytic lens in "Stat Stories", but Wilkins has been a fascinating development case to this stage. Inside the Top-40 of 2025, there's perhaps no prospect in the boat of "potential over production" thus far. Solid production against high level national competition this summer, but that came on 35% from the field, 44% at the rim, 21% from three and 64% from the line. Still, it's the early stages with there being plenty of "can't teach" ability to Wilkins athletic and physical profile to go with bluechip basketball DNA. From the Florida days to the early days at UGA, Mike White and company have stocked up a wealth of wing prospects who can defend multiple spots and have more to tap into -- Wilkins fits that bill. The Grayson (GA) forward hasn't quite put the pieces together yet, but it's a job well done for the Dawgs to seal the deal before he does.

MORE FOR YOU