Former Georgia Tech Guard Akai Fleming Announces His New Transfer Destination

Fleming showed promise as a freshman at Georgia Tech this past season, but entered the portal and opted to head to the Big 12

Feb 14, 2026; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets guard Akai Fleming (0) shoots against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second half at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

Georgia Tech has undergone a massive roster churn this offseason after bringing in new head coach Scott Cross to lead the program following the firing of Damon Stoudamire. This was not unexpected of course and most of last year's roster that finished last in the ACC is gone and one of those players was guard Akai Fleming, who had a fairly productive freshman season at Georgia Tech.

Fleming entered the transfer portal last month, but unlike some of the other former Yellow Jackets who had entered such as Jaeden Mustaf, Mouhamed Sylla, and Baye Ndongo (among others), Fleming had not announced his destination. He did today and Fleming is headed to the Cincinnati Bearcats to compete in the Big 12.

NEWS: Georgia Tech transfer guard Akai Fleming has committed to Cincinnati, he told @On3.

The 6-foot-4 freshman averaged 10.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game this season. Former 4⭐️ recruit. https://t.co/k2d8riGeZR pic.twitter.com/W5xTU7BKUj

— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) May 6, 2026

How will his departure affect Georgia Tech?

Fleming was by no means a superstar, but he had a very nice freshman year for the Yellow Jackets and I thought that he was a player worth keeping, but I also don't think that this is a loss that cripples Georgia Tech.

Fleming averaged 10.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists during his freshman campaign. While he was not as lauded as fellow freshman Mo Sylla, Fleming was the leading freshman scorer for the Yellow Jackets and became one of their more dependable players in what was a dreadful season for the program.

So how has Georgia Tech gone about replacing Fleming and the other players that have left the program?

Cross has dipped into the transfer portal to get a pair of experienced transfer guards that come from the midmajor level in Colby Garland (San Jose State) and Colby Whitlock (Lehigh) on top of getting two highly rated 2026 recruits in Kayden Allen and Kaiden Bailey, both of whom should be able to contribute this season.

Last season, Garland averaged 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, while Whitlock averaged 20.5 points per game. Having a pair of guards that can score the basketball like this and come with experience is a huge plus for this roster and if they can get meaningful contributions from Allen and Bailey, this could be a sneaky good backcourt to watch in the ACC in 2026-2027.

Here is Georgia Tech's current roster:

Center- Cole Kirouac (Sophomore)

Center- Moustapha Diop (Freshman)

Forward- Tylis Jordan (Ole Miss transfer, RS freshman)

Forward- Victor Valdes (Troy Transfer, Senior)

Guard- Kayden Allen (Freshman)

Guard- Kaiden Bailey (Freshman)

Guard- Colby Garland (San Jose State transfer, Senior)

Guard- Nasir Whitlock (Lehigh Transfer, Senior)

Guard/Forward- Kam Craft (RS Senior)