THE FLATS – Georgia Tech men’s basketball head coach Scott Cross announced the signing of Colby Garland, a 6-0 guard from Magnolia, Ark., to the Yellow Jackets. Garland played last season at San Jose State.
“I’m fired up about another phenomenal guard that is extremely efficient and will be a nightmare for opposing defenses,” said Cross. “Colby can really shoot the three, but he also has the ability to play off the pick and roll and get into the paint. Colby is another dynamic basketball player that will help us have one of the best backcourts in the ACC! Yellow Jacket fans: get your popcorn ready!”
Garland closed his junior season in 2025-26 at San Jose State with 12-straight 20-plus point outings, the longest in program history since 1996-97, to earn all-Mountain West third team honors. He finished the season averaging a team-high 20.3 points, shooting 49.0 percent from the field and 84.8 percent from the free throw line in 35.0 minutes per game (playing all 40 minutes in eight of his final 11 games). Garland appeared in 29 games last season, starting 27, while dishing out a team-high 134 assists (4.6 apg). His 20.3 points per tilt average ranked second in the Mountain West and 26th in the nation. Garland reached double-figures in 27 of 29 games, including 20 with 20 or more points and two with 30 points.
Behind a stellar performance last season in the opening round game of the Mountain West Championship with 22 points, three assists and three steals, Garland helped the Spartans upset No. 6 seeded Boise State in dominating fashion to advance to the quarterfinals. San Jose State became just the second 11-seed in Mountain West history to advance in the tournament, while scoring its most points ever in the tournament.
Garland played his sophomore season (2024-25) at Longwood, chipping in 12.1 points and 4.4 assists in 28 starts (appeared in 32 games). He averaged 29.3 minutes per tilt and shot 46.7 percent from the field, 33.8 percent from three-point range and 85.2 percent from the charity stripe. Garland’s freshman season (2023-24) took place at Drake where he appeared in 28 games with a pair of starts. He helped Drake produce a 28-7 overall record en route to a Missouri Valley Championship and NCAA Tournament berth. Garland averaged 5.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game, shooting 49.0 percent from the field, as a Bulldog to earn a spot on the Missouri Valley Conference all-bench team.
Garland attended Link Academy after high school in Branson, Mo., and averaged 18.7 points, 4.6 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game. The Arkansas native helped Magnolia High School to back-to-back state titles. He played his senior season of high school at Mauelle High School and averaged 18.3 points per game.
Garland join Cross’s signing class that consists of Kaiden Bailey (Santa Margarita Catholic/Irvine, Calif.), Moustapha Diop (Overtime Elite/Thies, Senegal), Tylis Jordan (Ole Miss/Milledgeville, Ga.), Victor Valdés (Troy/Monterrey, Mexico) and Nasir Whitlock (Lehigh/Brooklyn Park, Minn.).
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
ABOUT GEORGIA TECH MEN’S BASKETBALL
Scott Cross was named the 16th head coach in Georgia Tech men’s basketball program history on March 20, 2026. Georgia Tech’s men’s basketball has been a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference since 1979, won four ACC Championships (1985, 1990, 1993, 2021), played in the NCAA Tournament 17 times and played in two Final Fours (1990, 2004). Connect with Georgia Tech Men’s Basketball on social media by liking their Facebook Page, or following on X (@GTMBB) and Instagram. For more information on Tech basketball, visit Ramblinwreck.com.
