Tyrin Lawrence announces transfer from Vanderbilt to Georgia
Georgia Basketball recruiting is on a roll. The Bulldogs have added another pickup out of the portal: Vanderbilt guard Tyrin Lawrence. This past season, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound guard averaged career-best totals for scoring (14.1) and rebounding (5.0) while posting career-high totals in both blocks (12) and steals (37). He chose UGA over recent reported interest from USC and Duke, among others.
A native of Monticello, Ga. who played at Morgan County High School, Lawrence spent four seasons with the Commodores. He started a combined 18 games his first two seasons while playing 14.7 minutes and averaging 3.7 points per game.
Lawrence’s first season in the black and gold ended with a knee injury. His second saw him play in all 34 for the Commodores, but it was in his third that Lawerence truly broke out. Averaging 13.1 point in 29.0 minutes per game on the floor, Lawerence led Vanderbilt in scoring with 24 different outings in double figures including a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds against Ole Miss. Six times did Lawrence hit the 20-point mark as he shot 50.2% (165-for-329) from the field and 36.0% (36-for-100) from 3-point range. Lawrence averaged 19.2 points in six postseason gamed during the 2022-23 campaign including a season-high 25 in the opening round of the NIT against Yale, followed by 24 less than a week later versus Michigan. Other signature moments of the season for him were his buzzer-beater to help Vanderbilt knock off No. 5 Tennessee as part of a 19-point effort and 21 points to go along with seven rebounds in a road win over Kentucky.
Lawrence entered the transfer portal to explore his options after last season before opting to return to Vanderbilt for 2023-24. Things weren’t quite as nice for the Commodores, going 4-14 in the SEC and 9-23 overall as head coach Jerry Stackhouse was fired at season’s end. Still, Lawrence managed to impress, starting 28 games while averaging career-best 13.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. He scored a season-high 23 points against Kentucky, one of 21 times he reached double-figures and the third straight game he topped 20 points. Lawrence scored 20 or more against NC State, Dartmouth, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas and LSU as well – giving him four 20-point nights against NCAA Tournament competition and 10 such games in double-figures.
Lawrence will have one year of eligibility remaining as he joins a Georgia team that returns Silas Demary, Blue Cain and Dylan James after a run to the NIT semifinals. The Bulldogs won 20 games for the first time in eight seasons and add to their roster five-star plus+ Asa Newell and former Kentucky commit Somto Cyril in the Class of 2024 along with MAAC Rookie of the Year De’Shayne Montgomery (Mount St. Marys), Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year Justin Abson (Appalachian State), All-MAAC first teamer Dakota Leffew (Mount St. Mary’s) and RJ Godfrey (Clemson), a key contributor to the Tigers’ run to the Elite 8, from the transfer portal. With Lawrences’s addition, Georgia has three open spots remaining.
Georgia Basketball Roster Tracker
Returnees (3): Blue Cain, Silas Demary, Dylan James
Additions (7): Justin Abson (Appalachian State), Somto Cyril (Class of 2024), RJ Godfrey (Clemson), Tyrin Lawrence (Vanderbilt), Dakota Leffew (Mount St. Mary’s), De’Shayne Montgomery (Mount St. Mary’s), Asa Newell (Class of 2024)
Departures via Portal (7): Frank Anselem-Ibe, Jabri Abdur-Rahim (Providence), Jalen DeLoach (Loyola Chicago), Justin Hill (Wichita State), Mari Jordan, RJ Melendez, M.A. Moncrieffe (Seattle)
Out of Eligibility (3): RJ Sunahara, Russel Tchewa, Noah Thomasson
