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Jakai Newton's stock is soaring after strong summer

Jakai Newton has seen his stock rise in a big way the last few months since college coaches could get back on the road to evaluate prospects. It started with a standout performance at GHSA team camps in Georgia in June for the 6-foot-4 guard and it continued in July with his stellar play for the Atlanta Xpress 16-under team.

Scholarship offers have trickled in from Auburn, Cincinnati, Clemson, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest for the high-flying, talented scorer out of Georgia. At the moment, Newton says contact has been most consistent with Auburn, Cincinnati, Georgia, Georgia Tech and Indiana.

He’s already been on campus at Auburn for a team camp and Georgia for an unofficial visit. He plans to see Vanderbilt soon as well.

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2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position

2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position

2023 Rankings: Top 30

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IN HIS OWN WORDS:

Auburn: “I know coach [Bruce] Pearl is a great coach and has a lot of guys going to the League. I want to take a visit up there to see everything.”

Cincinnati: “Isaiah Miller went to my high school and the new coach there Wes Miller coached him at UNC-Greensboro. Coach Miller is a great coach.”

Georgia: “I really like Georgia. That’s right up the street, about 40 minutes away. It was a great visit there getting to see all the academics and the guys on the court and the locker room. It was pretty cool.”

Georgia Tech: “I’m ready to get over there and see everything. I don’t know too much about their program yet, but I want to get over and see it. I’ve been talking coach [Josh] Pastner. He seems like a cool dude.”

Indiana: “I know Coach Ya [Yasir Rosemond] is up there and he’s from Georgia, and now they have coach [Mike] Woodson, who is a former NBA coach. That’s a lot of experience over there.”

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RIVALS’ REACTION:

It’s always hard to pinpoint where a recruitment could go when it’s likely a year out from a decision, but in some ways, it looks like Newton’s recruitment is starting to take shape here. Tom Crean and his staff have jumped on the in-state prospect hard and have his full attention early after a great June visit. It’s also never wise to count out Auburn with Bruce Pearl leading the charge on a top Georgia prospect. Indiana could be the wild card here if he decides to leave the region as assistant coach Yasir Rosemond has very strong ties in the Peach State, which he put to work recently with a commitment from Kaleb Banks.

Newton looks like a prospect that could continue to rise up in the rankings over the next and one that could add several more scholarship offers from top programs before all is said and done.

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