NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Easter Kentucky standout George Kimble III has signed with Vanderbilt out of the transfer portal, Mark H. Carter and Family Men’s Basketball Head Coach Mark Byington announced Thursday.
A 6-foot-2 guard, Kimble III exploded onto the Division I scene at EKU in 2024-25 where he averaged 18.0 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists as a sophomore in 25 games. He was named second team All-Atlantic Sun in his lone season with the Colonels.
Kimble III suffered a season-ending injury on Feb. 8 and is planning to redshirt the 2025-26 campaign at Vanderbilt while recovering.
“I am so happy to be a part of George’s journey and the next step in his life,” said Byington. “He was on his way to being player of the year in his league, but a significant injury shortened his season. He is built different and makes it a mission to prove people wrong, which he will do again in his recovery and in the SEC.
“He is a talented combo guard who can do everything on offense. He also has an ability to disrupt on defense and impact the game on that side of the ball as well. He will redshirt this year but is a big part of our future.”
In his 24 full games played prior to his injury, Kimble III averaged 18.7 points per game and scored 20-or-more points on 11 occasions. He dropped a season-high 33 points in the ASUN opener at Central Arkansas. Kimble III also scored 24 points at Louisville.
Kimble III led the Colonels with 65 steals on the season, a total which ranked tied for 40th nationally despite missing the final seven games of the year. He finished the season with 2.6 steals per game, ranking sixth nationally.
Prior to joining Eastern Kentucky, Kimble III played his freshman season at Division II Eckerd College. He was named to the DII All-South Region Second Team and was the Sunshine State Conference Freshman of the Year. Kimble II averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.8 steals as a freshman.
