Gonzaga Bulldogs 2025-26 roster: An updated look post transfer portal deadline

The Zags have six scholarships to work with as they continue to retool the 2025-26 roster

Gonzaga Bulldogs assistant Stephen Gentry (left), head coach Mark Few (center) and assistant Brian Michaelson (right). / Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

The deadline for players to enter the college basketball transfer portal has passed, giving Gonzaga fans a better idea of who'll be suiting up for the Bulldogs next season.

As the dust from the first round of player movement continues to settle, the Zags' 2025-26 roster consists of 10 scholarship players and three walk-ons, leaving Mark Few and his coaching staff with five open scholarships to fill over the next few months (the NCAA increased roster sizes to 15 scholarship players starting in 2025-26). Meanwhile, six rotational players from last season's squad that won the 2025 West Coast Conference tournament championship are set to depart, including three backcourt players.

Few and company will continue to search for their first commitment of the 2025 portal cycle, but for now, here's a look at how the Zags' roster shakes out following the deadline for all players to enter the portal.

RETURNERS & NEWCOMERS

Guards:
Adam Miller (Arizona State transfer), Braeden Smith, Emmanuel Innocenti, Cade Orness (walk-on), Joaquim Arauz-Moore (walk-on)

Forwards/Wings:
Jalen Warley (Virginia transfer), Steele Venters, Davis Fogle (recruit), Noah Haaland (walk-on)

Centers:
Graham Ike, Braden Huff, Ismaila Diagne, Parker Jefferson (recruit)

Scholarships available: 5

After the portal window closed, there were some unresolved concerns regarding the Bulldogs' depth along the perimeter. Landing Miller, a 42.9% 3-point shooter last season, in early May certainly addressed some of those question marks in the backcourt.

Bringing back one of the most lethal frontcourt tandems in the country definitely counts as a big win for Few and the coaching staff. Especially considering how the pair of left-handed bigs played alongside each other down the stretch of last season. The Zags will have quite the duo to lean on offensively in 2025-26. In the three postseason games in which they both made starts, Ike and Huff combined to average 32.6 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists. Both shot above 55% from the field during that stretch as well.

Projecting what the Bulldogs' starting lineup will look like feels premature, though it's safe to assume that Smith, the transfer from Colgate who redshirted last season, will be featured at the point guard spot next to some combination of Innocenti/Warley/Venters/Fogle in the two spots next to him on the wing. Diagne rounds the frontcourt for now, as the 7-foot-tall rising sophomore will look to take a step forward in his progression during year two with the Zags.

Fogle will arrive at Gonzaga next fall as one of the highest-ranked men's basketball recruits in recent memory. The Anacortes, Washington, native checked in at No. 32 in the final edition of the 2025 ESPN 100 player rankings that were released earlier this month. The only Gonzaga commits with a higher ESPN Top 100 ranking since 2007 are former five-stars Chet Holmgren (No. 1, 2021) and Jalen Suggs (No. 6, 2020).

While Fogle could play meaningful minutes right away, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Few go with a more experienced wing in the starting lineup. Warley might fit that bill as a 6-foot-7, 205-pound senior who's played in 96 career games, including 58 starts. Venters could be another option as a sharpshooting wing, but it remains to be seen how he bounces back from back-to-back season-ending injuries in 2023 and 2024.

The Zags hope their latest addition to their 2025 class provides an insurance policy for when their starting frontcourt players ultimately depart down the road. Jefferson, a top-25 center recruit and former Minnesota signee, could also offer Few and company more flexibility with their substitution patterns and lineups if he's to play right away as a freshman.

DEPARTURES

Graduating:
Ryan Nembhard, Nolan Hickman, Khalif Battle, Joe Few

Transferring out:
Ben Gregg, Dusty Stromer, Graydon Lemke, Jun Seok Yeo, Michael Ajayi

Gregg's decision to enter the portal as a grad transfer elicited a surprise reaction from many, especially given the fact that the 6-foot-10 forward doesn't have eligibility remaining. But as the NCAA reportedly considers a five-year clock for its student-athletes amid numerous court cases involving its eligibility rules, Gregg joins numerous players who hope to receive a waiver from the NCAA, despite slim odds.

Speaking of extra eligibility, Ajayi gets a third year of Division-I hoops after the NCAA approved an extra season for seniors who previously competed at non-NCAA schools for one or more years. Ajayi, the 6-foot-7 forward who transferred in from Pepperdine last offseason, committed to Butler on April 7.

Stromer, the first Gonzaga player to enter the transfer portal this offseason, announced he's headed for Grand Canyon for his junior season.

The backcourt is going to look much different moving without Nembhard, Hickman and Battle featured. The Bulldogs have shown interest in a handful of talented guards via the portal, though to no avail at this point in the offseason.

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