Dakota Leffew to sign with Georgia Bulldogs basketball
ATHENS, Ga. — Dakota Leffew, a first-team All-MAAC performer for Mount St. Mary’s during the 2023-24 season, has signed a letter of intent to play for the Georgia Bulldogs next season as a graduate transfer, head coach Mike White announced on Monday.
Leffew is a 6-5, 185-pound guard from Hampton, Ga., who played at Jonesboro High School. In 99 games played over four seasons at Mount St. Mary’s, he recorded 1,137 points (11.5 ppg), 324 rebounds (3.3 rpg) and 233 assists (2.4 apg). Among the Mountaineers’ career leaders, Leffew ranks No. 32 in scoring, No. 9 in 3-point attempted (491) and No. 10 in 3-pointers made (176).
Leffew will be using a fifth season of eligibility granted by the NCAA to freshmen who began their college basketball careers during the 2020-21 season. That class is the final group to receive the extra year of eligibility.
After starting two of 38 games played and averaging 5.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists as a freshman and sophomore, 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. Among Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) statistical leaders, Leffew led the league in playing time (35.4 mpg) last season and also ranked No. 3 in scoring, No. 5 in assists (3.9 apg), No. 9 in steals (1.5 spg), No. 10 in 3-point percentage (.365), No. 10 in free throw percentage (.765) and No. 13 in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.37).
Leffew helped Jonesboro High to a combined 44-18 record during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. The Cardinals reached the semifinals of the Georgia’s Class 6A state tournament in 2018 before reaching the round of 16 in the Class 5A bracket in 2019. He averaged 14.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists as a senior. Leffew then spent a postgraduate season at Middle Georgia Prep and averaged 21 points, six rebounds, six assists and two steals per game.
Leffew is the fourth newcomer for Georgia’s 2024-25 roster. Last fall, the Bulldogs signed Asa Newell, a 6-10, 215-pound power forward from Destin, Fla., who was ranked as the No. 8 overall prospect in the 247Sports.com composite ledger for Class of 2024 prep prospects. From the transfer portal, this spring Georgia also has signed De’Shayne Montgomery, a 6-4, 190-pound guard from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who won 2024 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Rookie of the Year accolades playing for Mount St. Mary’s last season; and Frank Abson, a 6-9, 235-pound forward from Pompano Beach, Fla., who was named the 2024 Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year after finishing No. 4 nationally in blocked shots last season at Appalachian State.
The Bulldogs will look to continue their impressive improvement under Mike White during his upcoming third season in Athens. In his first campaign, the Bulldogs improved its regular-season win total by 10 victories, the second-largest increase of any Power conference program during the 2022-23 season. Georgia advanced to the semifinals of the NIT last season while also reaching the 20-win plateau for the first time since 2016.
