Billy Rowe, an Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American from Vanderbilt University, will transfer to the Georgia men’s tennis program, head coach Manuel Diaz announced on Wednesday. 

Rowe just completed his shortened senior season with the Commodores in 2020 and will have immediate eligibility as a graduate transfer during the upcoming 2020-21 campaign. 

The Coronado, Calif., native and team captain at Vanderbilt is widely considered one of the top players in the Southeastern Conference. In addition to his All-America status in doubles, Rowe boasts a career-high doubles ranking of No. 4 nationally and a singles mark of No. 62. He is also a model student-athlete who has placed on the SEC Academic Honor Roll seven times and earned a spot on the SEC Community Service Team this past year. 

“First, I want to say thank you to both Coach Diaz and Coach Hunt for giving me the opportunity to play tennis for another year,” Rowe said. “Not only do I get to play again, but I get to do it with a great team and two of the most respected coaches in the country. A month ago, I thought I was hanging up my racket for good, but now I have the chance to play at one of the most prestigious programs in the history of college tennis, and I could not be more excited. All of the Georgia guys have been super welcoming since they heard I was transferring, which has been awesome. I am ready to join the Bulldog family and give it my all with these guys.” 

Rowe played No. 1 doubles for Vanderbilt throughout his four seasons. This past year, he finished 7-4 at the No. 2 singles spot after going 24-10 during his junior campaign. 

“We are getting a tremendous player who will fit right in with our program,” Diaz said. “To hear a young man say he just wants to play one more year at a special place like Georgia, it is really exciting. Jamie [Hunt] coached Billy at Vanderbilt and, of course, I’ve watched him play over the last four years. What has always jumped out to us is his unbelievable work ethic and his desire to be the best. He is a model student-athlete and we could not be more thrilled to add Billy to our program.” 

Rowe joins a team that returns all but one starter next year. The Bulldogs, who played most of the 2020 season with six underclassmen in the lineup, will return a talented group that went 9-2 overall and finished on a six-match win streak.