When he first took over the head coaching job at Georgia, Mike White said he would not be shy about trying to bring the best players he could to Athens.

Wednesday afternoon, five-star Asa Newell heeded the call.

The 6-foot-9, 200-pounder small forward-ranked 16th overall by Rivals committed to the Bulldogs, giving Georgia its highest-ranked player since Anthony Edwards (No. 3) in 2019.

Newell chose the Bulldogs over Alabama, Texas, and Gonzaga.

"I've already been recruiting a little bit," Newell said during his announcement. "We're going to change the culture at Georgia."

Some players to keep an eye on include fellow five-star forward Derrion Reid from Napa, Calif. and Khani Rooths from IMG in Bradenton.

Reid is announcing Saturday, choosing between the Bulldogs, Alabama and Florida State. Rooths is expected to announce his decision in the next few weeks

It’s a homecoming of sorts for Newell, who was born in Athens and lived in Athens before moving to Florida to play at Moutverde Academy.

Bulldog assistant Erik Pastrana also played a huge role. Pastrana extended Newell his first offer in the spring of 2021 when the Bulldog assistant was at Oklahoma State. Later, Pastrana offered Newell when he moved to Florida, and quickly did so again when he rejoined White in Athens.

"Coach White is a great person on and off the court," Newell said. "Everything he says ... he's going to get on you, but he's going to keep everything positive. That's why I chose Georgia."

Newell’s brother Jaden is currently a redshirt freshman walk-on with the team.

"My brother really recruited me hard," Newell said. "He pushed me to be the best person I can be on and off the court, so I really give my thanks to him, too."

Newell comes to Georgia with considerable national experience. This past summer, Newell was a member of the FIBA U19 team where he competed with other top high school and collegiate players. He also played with the FIBA U17 team in 2022.