Former Gonzaga commit Jack Kayil confirms 2026 NBA Draft decision

Kayil was projected to start in Gonzaga's backcourt in 2026-27

Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few. | Photo by Myk Crawford

For the last month, the Gonzaga Bulldogs have been operating under the assumption that German 20-year-old guard Jack Kayil would keep his name in the 2026 NBA draft process, rather than taking his talent to Spokane for the 2026-27 season.

That has now been officially confirmed after Kayil's representation told Jonathan Givony of Draft Express that he will stay in the draft through the early-entrant withdrawal deadline for international prospects, which is Saturday, June 13, at 2:00 PM PT.

Kayil initially committed to Gonzaga in October, becoming the first member of the program's 2026 recruiting class. The 6'5 guard then had an outstanding season for Alba Berlin in Germany's Bundesliga, earning the league's Under-22 Player of the Year award.

His Alba Berlin club is now playing in the German BBL Finals, where they are down 1-0 to Bayern Munich.

Bookkeeping: Jack Kayil is keeping his name in the NBA Draft at the 5pm ET early-entrant withdrawal deadline, agent Milan Nikolic tells DraftExpress.

Kayil and Alba Berlin are playing Bayern Munich in the German BBL Finals, which Alba trails 1-0. https://t.co/mLplEWPbXJ

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 13, 2026

Kayil has rarely shown up as a first-round pick in 2026 mock drafts, regularly appearing in the early to middle part of the second round - and sometimes not at all. His inability to do direct workouts with teams while still in Germany is likely a factor, although his talent level could still land him at the back of the first round - especially with projected first-round pick Luigi Suigo pulling out of the draft and committing to Villanova on Saturday.

What it means for Gonzaga

Few and the Zags have been hard at work looking to replace Kayil on the roster since it was first announced he planned to stay in the draft back in mid-May. The team has been connected to a handful of guards in the transfer portal and on the international market, with the most recent target being 17-year-old Serbian Nikola Kusturica.

The transfer portal is rather thin at the moment, although potential names Gonzaga could consider include Cal Poly wing Hamad Mousa, Weber State guard and Washington native Tijan Saine, and Illinois guard Mihailo Petrovic.

As it stands currently, Gonzaga has three sophomores projected to start in the backcourt - returners Davis Fogle and Mario Saint-Supery alongside Houston transfer Isiah Harwell. The depth outside those three is nearly non-existent, with Foster the lone non-walk-on backcourt option on the roster as of now.

Kayil's surprise decision hurt Gonzaga in multiple ways, as the 6'5 guard was set to fill multiple roles on the roster thanks to his ability to play both on and off the ball. It would not have been a surprise to see him serve as Gonzaga's starting shooting guard and backup point guard, and now that he's out of the picture, the Zags need to fill multiple holes - and their options are dwindling by the day.