Howard's addition gives Crean one of Georgia's best classes

History will determine exactly what kind of group Tom Crean was able to bring to Georgia for his class of 2019.

But on paper, it’s looking pretty good.

The Bulldogs already boasted the nation’s No. 8 class with the players it had signed for its incoming class. And with the addition of center Rodney Howard—who committed to Georgia today—it's shaping up even better.

At 6-foot-11 and 240 pounds, the former Ole Miss commit is just the big body player that Crean and company had been looking for to fill out a class that, at least on paper, is one of the best Georgia has ever had.

Hunter, who chose the Bulldogs over Georgia Tech, is a Georgia native who spent his senior season playing at Legacy Charter in South Carolina. He averaged 10.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game on a team that went 34-5 playing a tough schedule.

“They told me how I could come in and be a part of this special class, and how they don’t have a player like me on the roster, so they need me to come in. They also talked about how they would develop me,” Howard told Rivals.com. “Most coaches said how they were going to develop me, but Coach Crean broke it down with me while we were talking. He said he’s going to break my film down when I come on campus this weekend. He said he’s a big fan of my game and always respected me and how much he could help me improve in that nature.”

He’ll join a freshman class that figures to make huge contributions to Georgia’s upcoming campaign.

That includes five-star guard Anthony Edwards, the nation’s No. 3 overall player, along with a quartet of four-star performers. That group includes guard Sahvir Wheeler, forward Toumani Camara, Jaykwon Walton, and forward Christian Brown.

But Crean warned Wednesday that there's a lot of work - a whole lot of work to be done.

Howard was one of the country’s top remaining post-players when he announced his de-commitment from Ole Miss. His decision comes less than 24 hours after Nicolas Claxton announced he will remain in the NBA Draft.

Crean may or may not be done.

With Claxton gone, Georgia can add one more player to its Class of 2019 class, although Crean has not decided yet how it might be used. But he and his staff have their collective eyes wide open.

"I think because recruiting is so fluid you've got to have that flexibility in your mind," Crean said. "We would look at a transfer, but certainly when you look at a transfer, somebody who could sit out, they could easily go test the draft in a year, too. It's risk-reward with every situation that you're in, so whether it's a high school freshman, a fifth-year transfer, or anybody in between."