Georgia men’s basketball is facing a significant roster overhaul ahead of the 2020-21 season. Along with three recent transfers, four recruits will shore up the Bulldogs’ roster gaps next year. 

Georgia’s national recruitment ranking dropped from No. 11 last year to No. 29 for the class of 2020. Head coach Tom Crean has secured one four-star recruit in K.D. Johnson, as well as three-star recruits Josh Taylor, Mikal Starks and Jonathan Ned.

Here’s how the newcomers fit among Georgia’s eight returning athletes:

K.D. Johnson, a 6-foot-1, 170-pound point guard from Decatur, Georgia, received offers from Auburn, Georgia Tech and Mississippi State before ultimately signing with Georgia in November. The four-star recruit is a graduate from Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Virginia, is ranked No. 19 among point guards in this year’s recruiting class, according to 247Sports. 

Johnson’s physical attributes are comparable to departing senior Tyree Crump. The 6-foot-1 departing senior shot 35.6% from the field last season and sunk 32.9% of his three point attempts. 

An early-season starter, Crump’s production and playing time steadily declined across 2019-20. He finished averaging 6.9 points and 2.2 rebounds in just over 20 minutes per game.

Josh Taylor was a big signing for the Bulldogs as well, and not just due to stature. The 6-foot-8, 200-pound power forward out of Norcross High School saw offers from Georgia Tech, Houston and LSU before signing with Georgia. Taylor graduated high school ranked No. 28 in the country at his position by 247Sports, and No. 133 overall.

Taylor matches rising sophomores Toumani Camara and Mike Peake in height, although both returning forwards outweigh the incoming freshman by 20 pounds.

Camara started for a majority of the season and averaged 6.6 points and 4.3 rebounds. He’ll likely take on a bigger role next year with the loss of 6-foot-5 Jordan Harris. Peake was less effective in 2019-2020, seeing an average of nine minutes of action in his 24 appearances.

Mikal Starks and Jonathan Ned competed together at Eastern Florida State junior college last season. Starks, a 6-feet, 180-pound guard is the No. 2 ranked point guard in junior college, according to the 247Sports Composite list. In his last season before signing with the Bulldogs, Starks posted a .344 field goal percentage and made 14.9% of his three-point shots. 

Starks’ teammate Ned is a 6-foot-9, 200-pound small forward who booked a .374 field goal percentage and averaged 9.6 points and 5.6 rebounds in 14.9 minutes per game as a second-year at Eastern Florida State.

Georgia’s four newcomers will not join the Bulldogs alone, however. In the past month, Crean has added graduate transfers Andrew Garcia and Justin Kier as well as senior transfer P.J. Horne to its 2020-21 roster. 

With two experienced guards and a forward entering the program, the competition for starting spots will be fierce once the NCAA and SEC allow team practices to resume.