Georgia saw a good chunk of its roster hit the transfer portal once the season ended with a first-round NCAA Tournament exit. Center Jackson McVey, who spent just one year in Athens, was among them — and now he’s found his next stop without leaving the state.
McVey has committed to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
Coming out of high school, McVey was a three-star prospect — ranked the No. 284 player in the country, the 51st-best at his position and the 15th-best in the state of Georgia, per the 247Sports composite. He started at Gilmer High School before finishing his prep career with Overtime Elite.
His Georgia run was brief. McVey appeared in just one game and redshirted this past season, sitting behind a frontcourt that included Somto Cyril, Justin Abson, Kareem Stagg and Dylan James. With most of that group now gone — Stagg is the exception — McVey is looking for the expanded role at Georgia Tech that never materialized in Athens.
He’s far from the only departure. Jeremiah Wilkinson transferred to Arkansas, Cyril landed at Miami, Jordan Ross and Jake Wilkins both committed to Cal, James chose George Washington, and now McVey is off to Georgia Tech.
The Dawgs did keep some important pieces. Stagg, Blue Cain, Kanon Catchings and Marcus “Smurf” Millender all opted to return for next season.
None of this is unfamiliar territory. Georgia lost the bulk of its roster to the portal a year ago too, held onto just a few key players, and still went on to win the most regular-season games in program history while reaching the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year.
The goal now is to run that back — and then some. Georgia has reached the tournament in back-to-back seasons but bowed out in the first round both times, to Gonzaga and then Saint Louis this past March. Between the transfer portal and the 2026 recruiting class, Mike White and his staff have added a number of new faces and are close to filling the holes left by everyone who moved on.
