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

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, C...