Jake Paul has spent $39M for a massive Georgia ranch — ‘I wanted a place where I can wakesurf, hunt and build a racetrack'

Yahoo

5 days ago

Jake Paul, the YouTube star-turned-prizefighter, has just picked up a sprawling piece of Southern sporting history.
The 27-year-old paid $39 million for a roughly 5,653-acre ranch in Georgia's Decatur County known as Southlands, in what brokers say is one of the largest recreational land deals in the state's history, according to a press release.
The property, which came to market in October for $42.5 million, hadn't been publicly offered for nearly 90 years.
Paul discussed the purchase earlier this month on 'The Iced Coffee Hour' podcast, revealing he used the bulk of his roughly $30 million earnings from his 2024 boxing match against heavyweight legend Mike Tyson to fund the acquisition.
'It's always been a dream of mine,' Paul said. 'I've wanted to buy a ranch for the last 15 years.'
Set roughly 8 miles from Bainbridge, the plantation is a rare find in Georgia's quail belt.
In addition to wild quail, the estate is home to trophy white-tail deer and features a variety of natural amenities, including 5 miles of spring-fed creeks, a stocked lake, a duck pond, a 60-acre irrigated field and direct frontage on Lake Seminole. Less than 3% of the land is wetlands.
Jon Kohler of Jon Kohler & Associates, who co-listed the property with Walter Hatchett, likened the significance of the sale to owning a sports franchise.
'Southlands is an institution; it's like owning your own professional football team,' Kohler told Mansion Global. 'You get history, culture and traditions, and you're a land steward dictating its future.'
The ranch includes a recently renovated 4,884-square-foot main lodge with eight bedrooms, five full bathrooms and one half bath.
The grounds also hold a collection of updated and new outbuildings, including a four-stall barn for horseback and quail hunting, a manager's house and guesthouse, a pavilion, an equipment shed, a workshop and a cooler facility for game processing.
Southlands was previously owned by Brian Philpot, CEO and principal owner of AgAmerica Lending, which specializes in agricultural loans. Philpot acquired the property in 2023 through a private transaction; the price was not disclosed.
For Paul, who recalled spending time at a cabin with his father as a child, the purchase is about more than luxury.
'I wanted a place where I can wakesurf, hunt and build a racetrack,' he said on the podcast.