George Kimble III has signed with the Auburn men’s basketball program for the 2026-27 season, according to an April 27 announcement from the team.
Kimble III, who spent last season at Vanderbilt University, missed that year due to a knee injury suffered at the end of the previous season while playing at Eastern Kentucky. Before his injury, he averaged 18.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists over 25 games at Eastern Kentucky.
Head Coach Steven Pearl said, “We are excited to welcome George and his family to the Auburn Family. This program has been built by players with a chip on their shoulder and something to prove—and George fits that mold perfectly.”
Kimble III is originally from Tampa, Florida and is a cousin of Olympic track star Justin Gatlin. He began his college career at Division II Eckerd College where he was named Sunshine State Conference Freshman of the Year after averaging 19.4 points, 4.6 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game.
Pearl also said, “After beginning his career in Division II, George transferred to Eastern Kentucky, where his season was unfortunately cut short due to injury. Over the past year at Vanderbilt, he has focused on preparing for his next opportunity, putting in work in the weight room and continuing to develop his understanding of the game.”
Pearl described Kimble III as bringing “a strong work ethic, toughness, and fearlessness” to Auburn’s backcourt and noted that Kimble ranked sixth nationally in steals two seasons ago despite playing only 25 games.
Kimble joins a group of signees for next season including Narcisse Ngoy (France), Bukky Oboye (Houston/Santa Clara), Adam Olsen (Canada/South Alabama), Owen Freeman (Illinois/Iowa/Creighton), Thomas Dowd (Alabama/Troy), and Caleb Williams (Tampa). Pearl concluded about Kimble: “While some may shy away from competition with a returning backcourt of Tahaad Pettiford and Kevin Overton, George embraces it… We are excited for George to show the basketball world what it missed this past year.”
