ATL-Metro - A Few Fascinating Transfers

Another year and another busy offseason in the Georgia high school portal, as the rich have gotten a little richer, while others are rolling the dice to see if a location change might kickstart their own recruitment.   Let's look at a few that popped off the page for me who could impact their new team's fortunes, or provide a platform for themselves to potentially benefit. (in no particular order):   [player_tooltip player_id='1655579' first='Jaydon' last='Cole'] | Guard | Milton (from King's Ridge) | 2025   A monster spring and summer with OTP NXT already did its job by getting him much-deserved increased exposure, and moving to historical power Milton will surely not detract from that, and more likely will turbo boost his looks. Confidence in particular bloomed from Cole in spades all through the recent travel season, it was palpable from the sidelines and in talking with the engaging dual-threat guard. Improved shooting, a more stout frame, a willingness to lead but not come off as a me-first guy, these are easy to note from the sidelines. What translates so well to the next level is the more dynamic multi-level threat game, an ability to play on and off the ball with equal aplomb, and a tremendous attitude and on-court disposition, all college-level dream-like qualities. With the Eagles for his final season, alongside guys like [player_tooltip player_id='1383022' first='Josh' last='Dixon'] and incoming transfer [player_tooltip player_id='1696238' first='Nathan' last='Earl'], how he translates those evolving positives he's worked so hard to foster amongst a backcourt that all love to dominate the ball, will be fascinating as all 3 of them feed a big and mobile frontline.   [player_tooltip player_id='1639113' first='Alex' last='Young'] | Guard | Etowah (from Brookwood) | 2025   I don't think he would have had a bad season by any means had he stayed at Brookwood, the Broncs are trending upward with their 2025 class having logged a lot of minutes in recent years, but a move to Etowah has the potential to propel him onto new radars, as the Eagles play a lot of high exposure games each season and are exquisitely coached while seemingly always outperforming prognostications. Now at 6-foot-6, and with added foot speed which had been a detriment in past years on the travel circuits, he has shown the kind of maturation as a player a scout can appreciate and quantify, my having watched him now for years. A great head for the game, an underrated passer and rebounder, he can make his coin purely as a wing bomber and is as good a shooter as anyone when he's cooking. But the strength expansion of his body and ongoing skillset will be a dynamite complement to the already spectacular [player_tooltip player_id='1559535' first='Aiden' last='Weaver'] and what is sure to be another cast of solid if not overly spectacular role-players in Woodstock.   [player_tooltip player_id='1300718' first='Connor' last='Teasley'] | Guard | Norcross (from Peachtree Ridge) | 2025   This one came later in the cycle and caused some mild head-scratching considering what PRHS had coming back, but looking at it purely from the recruiting side of the boost meter, moving from a very good program in Suwanee to a national brand like Norcross has obvious merit. It's a pretty crowded backcourt now for the Blue Devils, a good problem to have nop doubt, as [player_tooltip player_id='2275455' first='Rudy' last='Anderson'] and his stellar resume arrives from Savannah, joining returning fast riser [player_tooltip player_id='1696247' first='Jaron' last='Saulsberry'] and additional transfer wings [player_tooltip player_id='2056122' first='Miles' last='Clanton'], [player_tooltip player_id='2226204' first='Thomas' last='McBride'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2375441' first='Whitfield' last='Hyde']. All that said, Teasley has all the tools to be a huge factor in a possible deep Devils playoff run, his development has been true and steady and took a major jump this past summer with [program_tooltip program_id='2076854' first='GA' last='Canes'] and then again in June with his former Lions team. A terrific all-around skillset as a lead man headlines, but plenty of scoring chops off the ball make him among the top under-the-radar, unsigned backcourt gems in the ATL-Metro.   [player_tooltip player_id='2385368' first='Jake' last='Mihalick'] | Forward | Habersham Central (from Lanier Christian) | 2026   Bringing 6-foot-8 to a frontcourt can do wonders for any roster, but with an inside-out package that seriously intrigues Mihalick isn't just a tall body in a jersey. Habersham may be a little further out than what could be called Metro-ATL, still he brings an element to an already very talented returning roster, vaulting them from a trendy contending pick in 5A to a truly legitimate contender for a deep run. That's not to say the Raiders couldn't have gone far without him, what with a slate of veteran 2025's like guards [player_tooltip player_id='2471136' first='Enzo' last='Combs'], Jalen Davis, Justus Gober and center JoJo McCurry, who all have logged a ton of minutes and comprise as seasoned a core as any team in 5A. I saw more of his creative post-game this summer after hearing reports of the shooting ability, the two together wowed me multiple times, and with a year still to marinate he could enter next season as one of the top players spanning from Mt Airy down through Atlanta and all the through to the south Metro.   [player_tooltip player_id='1810741' first='Carby' last='Martin'] | Guard | Tri-Cities (from East Coweta) | 2025 (pictured at top)   Infectious on-floor enthusiasm and key moment, big shotmaking ability would be welcome anywhere, and Martin like the others on this list has seen a gradual and tangible progression in his skillset that has been fun to watch. The Bulldogs have young frontcourt size which needs a little fostering, and Martin adds to this roster dependable ballhandling and decision-making in the big moments. You see and feel the confidence whether he's directing traffic defensively or firing up his teammates after a big finish by someone else. Playing alongside one of the state's top 2027's in smooth point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2102286' first='Tre' last='Keith'], and welcoming the return to Georgia of 6-foot-6 wing [player_tooltip player_id='1383039' first='Sean' last='Van Dorn'], gives the guys from East Point a trio they can lean on through the war that will be 5A this winter. Milton, Gainesville, Riverwood, Habersham Central and Alexander are just a few of a deep field of contenders the Dawgs will encounter on the trail to Macon.   [player_tooltip player_id='2467350' first='Jahmar' last='Maurice'] | Guard | Woodstock (from Furtah Prep) | 2028   Yes, he's only a freshman. But I have to say there are only a handful of 2028's whose name I consistently have asked about around town since I first saw him two years ago, and that's because of the enormous gifts and potential he showed. There just wasn't an answer for him on the youth level, at times an almost comical dominance offensively against what was pretty good competition on the Atlanta middle school circuits. Clearly still on a rapid upward trajectory, he posted really solid numbers with Furtah last year as an 8th-grader playing against much older rosters, and now heads to Wolverine Country to add to a team that has already improved itself with incoming transfer talent. Landon Duncan is one of those, the former-Kell speedster another backcourt addition that will make an impact along with Maurice. Both will be looking early and often for 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2102289' first='Taj' last='Saragba'], an uber-talented, nationally-ranked 6-foot-8 hybrid G/F who had a whole slew of monster stretches wowing Scouts and college coaches alike in the last year all of which belies his still young years.

Another year and another busy offseason in the Georgia high school portal, as the rich have gotten a little richer, while others are rolling the dice to see if a location change might kickstart their own recruitment.