Dawson Garcia is a top-20 forward nationally and his numbers stack up well

Garcia's numbers from 2023-24 stack up really well compared to the other players on the list.

Dawson Garcia | Photo by Kelly Hagenson, University of Minnesota

Dawson Garcia is one of the least talked about college stars in the country but he is getting respect in the preseason rankings. ESPN ranked him No. 49 on its list of the top 100 players in the nation and On3 slotted him at No. 59 in its list of the 125 best players in 2024-25. Narrow it down to where Garcia ranks among the best forwards in the country and The Field of 68 says he's No. 18.

👀 FORWARDS POWER RANKINGS 👀

Revealing our top 20 forwards in the nation! 🔥

Who do you think 🫵 the best forward is? ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/IC0y5a3j3c

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) October 31, 2024

From a pure points production standpoint, the only forward on that list of 20 players who averaged more points per game than Garcia last season is Great Osobor, who averaged 17.7 points compared to Garcia's 17.6 points.

Player	PPG	REB
Cooper Flagg	N/A	N/A
Eric Dixon	16.6	6.5
Coleman Hawkins	12.1	6.1
Ace Bailey	N/A	N/A
Collin Murray-Boyles	10.4	5.7
Bryce Hopkins	15.5	8.6
Great Osobor	17.7	9.0
Grant Nelson	11.9	5.9
Malik Reneau	15.4	6.0
Zach Freemantle	11.7	6.4
KJ Adams	12.6	4.6
Kasean Pryor	13.0	7.9
Robbie Avila	17.4	6.6
Tyson Degenhart	16.7	6.2
Derik Queen	N/A	N/A
Julian Reese	13.7	9.5
JT Toppin	12.4	9.1
Dawson Garcia	17.6	6.7
Trevon Brazile	8.6	5.9
Jarin Stevenson	5.3	2.7

Garcia might naturally see his scoring volume increase this season since Minnesota lost Cam Christie to the NBA while fellow 2023-24 starters Elijah Mitchell and Pharrel Payne left via the transfer portal. His rebounding numbers might also increase, especially now that the Gophers have an injury concern about starting big man Frank Mitchell Jr.