ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia native RJ Godfrey, a two-time first-team All-State player at North Gwinnett High School in 2021 and 2022, has signed a letter-of-intent to join the Georgia Bulldogs next season, head coach Mike White announced on Friday. Godfrey will be a junior after playing two seasons at Clemson.
A 6-8, 228-pound forward, Godfrey averaged 6.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting 59.4 percent from the field in 36 games played for Clemson last season. After averaging 5.8 ppg in the first 32 games of the season, he contributed 8.3 ppg in the Tigers’ run to the “Elite Eight” of the NCAA Tournament.
Godfrey notched nine double-digit scoring outputs, led by a career-high 19 points against Queens University, and grabbed a career-most 10 rebounds versus TCU. Godfrey scored 12 points on a 5-of-7 performance from the floor and a 2-of-2 effort at the line in Clemson’s “Elite Eight” matchup with Alabama. As a freshman, Godfrey contributed 3.2 points and 2.1 rebounds in 33 outings with the Tigers.
Godfrey was a standout at North Gwinnett, helping the Bulldogs win three Region championships and reach the quarterfinals of Georgia’s Class 7A state tournament in 2020, 2021 and 2022. He was named first-team All-State by the Atlanta Journal Constitution as both a junior and a senior and was tabbed 2022 Gwinnett Country Player of the Year by the Gwinnett Daily Post. Among North Gwinnett’s career statistical leaders, Godfrey finished his career ranked No. 2 in points, No. 1 in rebounds, No. 1 in blocks, No. 3 in steals and No. 6 in assists.
Godfrey was tabbed as one of the nation’s top-50 small forwards in the Class of 2022 by Rivals.com (No. 38) and ESPN.com (No. 44).
Godfrey is the son of Georgia football legend Randall Godfrey, one of the greatest linebackers to ever play for the Bulldogs. He was a four-year starter and earned SEC Freshman of the Year honors in 1992 followed by All-SEC accolades in 1993 and 1994. Godfrey was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft and went on the play 11 seasons with Cowboys (1996-99), Tennessee (2000-02), Seattle (2003), San Diego (2004-06) and Washington (2007). All told, Godfrey started 149 of 170 career games in the NFL and recorded 649 tackles. He was named second-team All-Pro in 2000.
Godfrey is the sixth addition to the Bulldogs’ roster for the 2024-25 season, joining two prep prospects and four players from the transfer portal.
The high school players are Asa Newell and Somto Cyril. Newell is 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. Cyril is a 6-10, 252-pound center originally from Enugu, Nigeria, who has played with the Overtime Elite program in Atlanta for the past two seasons. He is ranked as high as the No. 42 recruit nationally by On3.com.
Georgia has also signed transfers Frank Abson, Dakota Leffew and De’Shayne Montgomery. Abson is 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. Leffew is a 6-5, 185-pound guard from Jonesboro, Ga., who earned first-team All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) honors last season as a senior at Mount St. Mary’s. Montgomery, a 6-4, 190-pound guard from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who won 2024 MAAC Rookie of the Year accolades also playing for Mount St. Mary’s during 2023-24.
The 2024-25 campaign will be the Bulldogs’ third under head coach Mike White. During his first season, Georgia improved its regular-season win total by 10 victories, the second-largest increase of any Power conference program. Last season, the Bulldogs advanced to the semifinals of the NIT en route to their first 20-win season since 2016.
