UGA Recruits Stellar 2026 Class

9/16 CGC Staff

Every September, the chips start falling into place for the newest eligible recruiting class, who have just begun their junior year of high school. As athletes begin taking their official visits as early as August, verbal commitments start trickling in and ramp up once college football season begins and the fun of visits begins. As we’ve hit the middle of September, a good amount of schools have locked in one 2026 recruit, while a few schools have received two commitments. As of 9/16, nine of the top-30 ranked players on Junior Golf Scoreboard have found their future home, and the University of Georgia has quickly sealed the deal with three of those athletes, including two top-10 recruits, in the past few weeks. This stellar recruiting is sure to make UGA one of the top 2026 recruiting classes, and easily the best so far. Their first recruit, Drew Woolworth, hails from the northwest corner of the US in Oregon, about as far from Georgia as you can be. Although Woolworth was communicating with many west coast schools, he chose Georgia because ‘When I got to Georgia I felt welcomed and like I was at home. Choosing Georgia wasn’t hard for me because of the way I felt. It didn’t matter being from Oregon and going across the country.’ His resume includes a win at the Oregon 6A High School Championship, 2023 Oregon Junior Player of the Year, two appearances at the US Junior, and nine career AJGA top-ten finishes.

Next to verbally commit was Georgia native Hamilton Coleman, who recently won the AJGA Junior Players Championship just after choosing UGA. Coleman qualified for match play at the US Junior, and was a solid 4th at the Junior North and South Amateur. In 2023 he finished 10th at the AJGA Rolex Tournament of Champions and picked up an AJGA win at the Greenwood Junior Championship. Hailing from Georgia, Coleman revealed ‘From the start I’ve had UGA on the top of my list. My mom, grandad, grandmother, and so many other people that are close to me went there and it has always seemed like the perfect fit. The Bulldogs surprised us all when home-grown Mason Howell became the third player to commit on 9/10. Howell has had a stellar season on the links, starting with a 9th place finish at the Dustin Johnson World Junior. He followed that with a runner-up finish at the AJGA Wyndham Invitational, 5th at the Western Junior, 12th place in stroke play at the US Junior, and a recent 5th place showing at the Junior Players. Howell said that UGA was a dream for his younger self, but as his recruiting started he wanted to be open to other schools. Georgia stood out to him as a place he would see himself living and growing his golf game.

We asked the three recruits when they realized that they could be considered as a potential recruit for a top-25 program. Woolworth figured out his worth at his first Western Junior, ‘Because everyone there was a competitor, and they were all competing at a high level. Being there showed me that I was good enough to be at a top level school like Georgia.’ Both Howell and Coleman understood their recruiting potential when they began competing well at higher level AJGA events. With that potential comes a hectic week of June 15th, when coaches can officially contact the next recruiting class. This year the date fell in between the AJGA Wyndham Invitational and the Western Junior, which made life hectic for Howell. He states ‘It was a very hectic week being in the airport on my way to the Western after finishing the Wyndham. I try not to talk to coaches while I’m in tournaments so I can just focus on my golf.’ Woolworth was also in the midst of traveling around the country, adding ‘It was a wild week. especially since I had played all over the country and had been exposed to so many schools. That week I got a lot of texts and emails from schools all over the country.’ The start of the contact period was exciting for Coleman, who says ‘I could finally see who actually had interest in me instead of just guessing.’ On route to choosing Georgia, all three explored other schools. Coleman was in communication with a few other schools, but he says that after he had visited UGA he didn’t need to visit any more, as he found his home. Howell explored his options with four schools and took the time to make three visits before making his commitment. Woolworth, on the other hand, had a busy summer evaluating his choices. ‘I was in contact with a lot of schools. I had been on a couple visits just with my parents to schools in Oregon, and I went to a camp at TCU and Illinois. I looked around San Diego State in the summer before my visit. All of them weren’t official visits with the coaches and team, and the only official visit I went on was Georgia,’ he explains.

Photos: UGA

The three recruits used the words ‘amazing’ and ‘awesome’ to describe UGA’s courses and facilities. Georgia is in the process of making a new private golf course called The Rose and it will be completed by their freshman year. Currently, the Bulldogs have access to three great golf courses all within fifteen minutes of campus, and have a expansive practice facility that the three recruits can’t wait to use. Howell says ‘The Boyd Center at UGA’s golf course is an awesome place to practice and play a challenging course, with a 100 yard long putting/chipping green where you can dial in the short game, and a golf course with length to challenge the long game.’ Woolworth adds ‘The practice area is all you really need to build your game to the next level. They have a bunch of technology that you can use, a private side of the range at UGA’s golf course and the chipping area, along with two hitting bays and a new putting mat in one of the bays.’ Coleman sums it up by saying ‘We have access to some amazing courses and facilities and it’s going to help me improve my golf game to new levels.’

When asked what the UGA recruits were most looking forward to about competing for a top program, all three said they can’t wait to compete with the best golfers in college on some great golf courses. Georgia plays a very competitive schedule and visits some of the best courses in the country. Woolworth also notes team camaraderie, saying ‘Growing up playing junior golf, I saw every type of skill range but competing at a college level where everyone is good fires me up because everyone can play well. I’m also looking forward to the team building and the atmosphere at Georgia.’ Howell is looking forward to competing against the best golfers around the country every time he tees it up. ‘With the team we have, I know we will be competing for national championships,’ he adds. Coleman concludes ‘ I’m excited for the incredible tournaments and competition that I will play against. It will be cool to play at the highest level of college golf.’ We wish all three recruits well and are excited to see them begin their college careers in a few years!