4-star wing commits to SEC school, cancels official visit to Gonzaga

Gonzaga planned to have Herly Brutus on campus this Saturday for Kraziness in the Kennel
Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few.
Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few. | Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

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Herly Brutus, a four-star wing in the 2026 recruiting class, committed to LSU on Sunday, according to Joe Tipton of On3.

Brutus chose LSU over a top six that included Kansas State, Utah, Saint Louis, South Florida, and Gonzaga, which he was set to visit this weekend.

Gonzaga planned to have Brutus on campus this Saturday for Kraziness in the Kennel — the team's first open practice of the season and historically an important recruiting weekend for coach Mark Few and the Zags. Brutus was set to visit with four-star center Sam Funches, but instead, he'll become the second member of coach Matt McMahon's 2026 class at LSU.

Brutus is a 6'5 wing from The Villages, FL, who was ranked No. 141 in 247Sports' updated class rankings. He became a priority recruit for coach Few and the Zags thanks to his tenacity on the defensive end of the floor, and a raw but still developing offensive game that gave him plenty of potential.

Gonzaga jumped in late to the recruiting process and was unable to sway him from LSU, a local SEC school that, according to Brutus, "felt like home away from home."

"I developed more comfortability with the staff at LSU," Brutus told Tipton. "Also has a large Creole population, and they are descendants of Haiti, so I feel my mom and family will be able to blend in and find comfort, because of our first language."

It's another miss for Gonzaga, who saw their first official visitor of the 2026 class, forward Ethan Harris from Camas, WA, commit to Iowa earlier this month. Gonzaga did recently pick up another official visitor, with 4-star wing Anthony Felesi set to arrive in Spokane for the team's first game of the season on Nov. 3 against Texas Southern.

In addition to Funches and Felesi, Gonzaga is also set to host 4-star wing Luca Foster on Oct. 11 and consensus 5-star forward Cameron Holmes on Nov. 8 for the team's game against Oklahoma at the Spokane Arena.

The Zags have also shown interest in a handful of 5-star talents, including No. 1 overall recruit Tyran Stokes, who the team is hoping to get on campus for an official visit — although no date has been set.

Gonzaga has also offered Baba Oladotun, a 6'9 wing from Maryland who reclassified to 2026 and is No. 10 in the class at 247Sports, as well as point guard Ikenna Alozie, who listed Gonzaga in his top eight but has not confirmed an official visit as of this writing.

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Andy Patton
ANDY PATTON

Andy Patton is a diehard fan and alumnus of Gonzaga, graduating in 2013. He’s been the host of the Locked On Zags podcast covering Gonzaga basketball since 2021, and one of two co-hosts on the Locked On College Basketball podcast since 2022. In addition to covering college basketball, Andy has dabbled in sports writing and podcasting across nearly every major sport dating back to 2017. He was a beat writer covering the Seattle Seahawks from 2017–2021 for USA TODAY, where he also spent one year each covering the USC Trojans and Oregon Ducks, and had a stint as the lead writer for College Sports Wire. Andy has also written about the NBA, NHL, and MLB for various news outlets through TEGNA, including KREM in Spokane, CBS8 in San Diego, and KING 5 in Seattle. After stints in Spokane and Seattle, Andy is back in Oregon near his hometown with his wife, daughter, and dog.

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