While the summer transfer portal has closed, that doesn’t mean that the movement within the college landscape stops. On Tuesday, ex-Duke outfielder Devin Obee, who received significant draft interest this past summer, made his commitment to Wes Johnson’s Georgia squad, beefing up an already impressive transfer class for the second-year skipper.
With the news of the transfer now public, I felt it was a good time to try something a bit different. Since Obee was a guy that I saw on plenty of occasions this past spring, it only feels right to write about the player and how the profile will translate to the SEC. It may be a tough transition, but Obee is the kind of bat that can be a middle-of-the-order thumper for a team that just lost Charlie Condon and his BBCOR HR record to Colorado. So, what is the toolset like? What are the expectations in Athens, and what does Duke do to replace such a power threat in their lineup? Let’s dive in.
Devin Obee’s Profile
As mentioned in the introduction, Obee had substantial draft interest and turned down a significant sum of money to complete his degree and enter the portal in August. Obee was ranked 229th on our final Top 300 board that dropped just before the draft. He’s still eligible to play in the 2025 campaign as a result of this late entry, unlike situations like Wake Forest RHP Luke Schmolke, who couldn’t pitch in 2024 after a late transfer from Georgia Tech.
Overall, Obee is one of the more gifted athletes in the country. He’s a physical brute at 6’2, 215 pounds and features a ton of strength throughout his frame. Despite his size, Obee is an incredible athlete and figures to handle center field for the Bulldogs in 2025. Obee made plenty of highlight reel plays at the “eight” for the Blue Devils and features above-average speed and average or better defense. It’s not Vance Honeycutt good, but it’s enough for me to believe that he’ll be tough to push off the position if he enters a professional organization. His route-running is very solid and he’ll cover plenty of ground with that speed. Obee only committed one error and posted a .991 fielding percentage in 2024, giving him a track record of consistency at the position.
With that said, 2024 was his only full season in a starting role at Duke. Obee saw some meaningful playing time in his first two years on campus, playing in 87 total games, but he only recorded a total of 184 plate appearances. That changed in 2024, as he secured a starting role and began the year on an impressive hot streak, posting a .476 batting average in non-conference play. As the ACC slate began, Obee began to be exploited a bit by more impressive pitching, though he’d finish the year with a .309/.399/.599 slash line and sixteen home runs. During Duke’s run to the ACC title in Charlotte, Obee recorded three multi-hit games and three home runs, earning Tournament MVP honors in the process.
