ATHENS, Ga. — Michael Shears and Caleb Manuel will be joining the 2022-23 Georgia men’s golf team, according to an announcement Friday by Bulldogs head coach Chris Haack.
Shears will arrive as a graduate transfer from Vanderbilt, while Manuel spent his first two collegiate seasons at Connecticut and will be a junior for the Bulldogs beginning in the fall.
“Michael and Caleb will be excellent additions to our program,” Haack said. “They understand what it takes at the college level to successfully balance golf, academics, and community involvement, and they will be tremendous leaders in that regard. We are excited about having them join our team.”
Shears, a native of Franklin, Tenn., represented the Commodores in 20 events, including the 2021 NCAA Championships. He came in fourth in the Old Waverly Collegiate Championship, sixth in The Carmel Cup, and seventh in the Tiger Invitational. Shears was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll and earned the Tom Cousins Award (which is named for the former UGA swimmer) for academics and community engagement. He is the grandson of Joel Darden, who lettered on the Georgia football team from 1962-64 and the son of Michael Shears, who was a member of the Bulldogs’ golf team in the 1980s.
Manuel, a native of Topsham, Maine, had two victories, 11 top-10s, and 14 top-20s in his two seasons with the Huskies. He is UConn’s career leader in scoring average at 71.7, including 18 rounds in the 60s and 31 par-or-better efforts. Manuel was named Freshman of the Year, Second Team, All-Tournament, and All-Academic by the Big East, and All-Region by PING and the GCAA. He played in the U.S. Open and has qualified for next month’s U.S. Amateur. Manuel is the state of Maine’s two-time Golfer of the Year and twice has won the Maine Amateur.