Georgia Tech Basketball: Jackets Land Huge Deebo Coleman Pledge

The 2021 recruiting class is of to a flying start. Dallan “Deebo” Coleman announced his pledge to Georgia Tech Wednesday afternoon, joining Miles Kelly as the second top 100 player in the class based on the current Rivals rankings. If signing day were today, it would mark the first time since the 2012 class that Tech has been able to land multiple top 100 players.

The Jackets were able to stave off the likes of Texas Tech and Ole Miss down the stretch to land the commitment of the talented guard. Deebo’s offer list was nothing short of impressive as it included Louisville, Florida St, Florida, Memphis, Auburn, Ohio St, and Alabama.

Pastner’s long-standing relationship with Coleman, a Memphis native, dates back to Deebo’s middle school days when Pastner was the Memphis head coach. The communication between the two never stopped despite Pastner becoming the Georgia Tech coach and Deebo moving to Florida for high school. Coleman’s familiarity with both Coach Pastner and Assistant Coach Julian Swartz helped the Jackets reel in the 6’6 sharpshooter.

Inside the Rankings:

The Jackets aren’t accustomed to landing consensus top 100 talent since the Paul Hewitt days, but Pastner has now landed his 2^nd as Tech’s coach. It cannot be understated how big of a commitment this is. In the past 12 years, only Robert Carter and Michael Devoe ranked higher on both 247 Composite and Rivals. Coleman slots in as the 49^th ranked player in his class by 247 Composite (the ranking compilation of all major media recruiting services) and is on the cusp of the top 50 on Rivals (55).

Player Breakdown:

Deebo is one of the top players in the 2021 class and posted an impressive line in his Junior season with West Nassau High School. He led the team in points (25.8), rebounds (8.3), steals (3.9), and blocks (0.8). Coleman has proved he can do it all during his high school career: score inside and out, create for himself and others, defend, protect the rim, and crash the glass. However, his most impressive attribute is his shooting, where he rained in 45% of his deep shots in the 2019-2020 high school season. The 6’6 two-way guard figures to see early playing time at both guard positions as Georgia Tech will look to run sets that feature his catch and shoot ability.

The Final Word:

Georgia Tech strikes gold on their top remaining target in the 2021 class and seem to be starting to turn the corner in recruiting. The Jackets have struggled from 3-point range for years, but the combination of Coleman and Kelly give the Jackets one of the best shooting classes in the country. Kelly recently received praise for his standout shooting performance at the Wooten 150 Camp, which featured some of the top high schools prospects in the country. Tech is well on its way to posting its first top 25 recruiting class since 2012. Follow that up with a strong on court performance this season like many expect and the Jackets could have some serious momentum.