Transfer portal updates: Tracking Gonzaga Bulldogs' 2024 offseason moves
As the Gonzaga Bulldogs head into the offseason, they’ve kept a close eye on the staggering amount of names that have been entered into the college basketball transfer portal since Selection Sunday ended.
Over 650 players have entered the portal since March 18 according to 247Sports, and there’s likely more on the way before it officially closes on May 1. That window excludes players who are eligible to graduate and enter the portal at any time as a “grad transfer.” Additionally, any player on a team that fired its head coach will be granted a 30-day window in which they can enter the portal, which is not bound to the March 18-May 1 period.
The Zags have already landed Pepperdine wing Michael Ajayi, who announced on March 27 that he was transferring to Gonzaga. The 6-foot-7 wing from Kentwood High School in Washington averaged 17.2 points and 9.9 rebounds as a junior, earning All-WCC first team honors. He shot 46.7% from the field and 47.0% from 3-point range.
Here’s a list of players in the transfer portal whom the Zags have reportedly shown interest in. We will update this list throughout the offseason.
(Refresh for the latest updates)
KANAAN CARLYLE - STANFORD CARDINAL
2023-24 stats: 11.5 points, 2.7 assists, 2.7 rebounds, 38.6/32.0/77.6 shooting splits
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound guard from Atlanta, Georgia, is looking for a new home after Stanford fired head coach Jerod Haase following a 14-18 campaign in his eighth season.
Carlyle was an honorable mention on the Pac-12 All-Freshman team after starting 16 of his 23 games played, averaging 25.7 minutes in those contests. He had a career-high 31 points against Washington State and 28 points against Arizona. Carlyle finished in double figures for scoring in 15 games and had four games with five or more assists.
A lot of those paint came from the charity stripe. Per KenPom, Carlyle drew 5.0 fouls per 40 minutes (seventh-highest in the Pac-12) and posted a 38.2% free-throw rate (12th in Pac-12).
The former four-star recruit from Overtime Elite wasn’t very efficient as a freshman, though so few first-year players are anyway. With Gonzaga's player development support, Carlyle would take a major step forward while being able to learn behind more experienced guards on the roster.
Carlyle is No. 3 on On3.com's transfer portal rankings. Per Tipton, he's also heard from Duke, Texas Tech, Arkansas, Oklahoma, UCLA and Baylor among others.
DAKOTA LEFFEW - MOUNT ST. MARY'S
2023-24 stats: 17.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 43.0/36.5/76.5 shooting splits
Another 6-foot-5 guard from the Mid-American Athletic Conference is seeking a new home.
Leffew has showcased a steay growth pattern over his first four seasons at Mount St. Mary's. After starting his career as an unranked prospect, he came off the bench as a freshman and sophomore before taking on a starting role as a junior. That led to his breakout campaign in 2023, as he was All-MAAC first-team after leading the Mountaineers in points, field goals made, 3-point field goals, assists and minutes as a senior.
With one more year of eligibility, Leffew reportedly has quite the list of schools interested in his services. Ranked No. 25 on On3.com's transfer portal rankings, the Jonesboro (GA) product has also received interest from Maryland, Indiana, Syracuse, Villanova, BYU, Clemson and Georgia among others, according to The Portal Report.
ROGER MCFARLANE - SE LOUISIANA
2023-24 stats: 14.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 41.7/34.1/76.4 shooting splits
The 6-foot-5, 205-pound Florida native was All-Southland second team in his third season of Division-I basketball. McFarlane started his career at Dodge City Community College in 2020, and since then he's gradually improved at SE Louisiana as his role increased over the last three seasons. He jumped from 5.8 points as a sophomore to 12.3 points as a junior before putting up 14.8 this past season with the Lions.
The Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native scored in double figures in 28 of 32 games this season, including six games with 20 or more points. He had 10 double-doubles and finished second in the Southland in rebounds per game.
McFarlane is ranked No. 134 on On3.com's transfer portal rankings. He's heard from Memphis, Florida Atlantic, Murray State, UCF and Cal among others including Gonzaga, per Tipton.
ROWAN BRUMBAUGH - GEORGETOWN
2023-24 stats: 8.3 points, 2.6 assists, 40.7/37.0/78.9 shooting splits
The 6-foot-4 redshirt sophomore from Washington D.C. could be onto his third stop in as many years after he entered his name into the transfer portal in March.
Brumbaugh, a former top-100 recruit coming out of high school, took a redshirt year at Texas in 2022-23 before transferring to Georgetown last season. He started 20 games and played 22.1 minutes per outing with the Hoyas, who went 2-18 in Big East play with their only wins over DePaul — which was 0-20 in conference.
With years of eligibility remaining, Brumbaugh is likely seeking out a winning program that will max out his potential. According to 247Sports, Michigan, Arkansas, Tulane, Villanova and Ohio State, along with the Zags, have all reached out.
RODDY GAYLE - OHIO STATE
2023-24 stats: 13.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 44.9/28.4/83.2 shooting splits
A former four-star recruit, the 6-foot-4 guard from New York showed steady growth as a sophomore with the Buckeyes in 2023-24.
Gayle started 35 of 36 games and finished as the team's third-leading scorer a year after he averaged 4.6 points. He nearly double his playing time and improved his shooting percentage with higher volume, except his 3-point percentage took a slight dip. Inside the arc, Gayle was adept at drawing fouls as he attempted 4.0 free throws per game.
With Ohio State going in a different direction after firing Chris Holtmann and elevating assistant coach Jake Diebler, Gayle is one of a few Buckeyes players looking to leave Columbus, Ohio. Freshman Scotty Middelton and sophomore Bowen Hardman have also entered their name into the transfer portal.
According to Jon Rothstein, Gonzaga, Georgia, Michigan, Tennessee, Oregon, Creighton, Alabama, Duke and others have shown interest in Gayle, who's ranked No. 43 on On3.com's transfer portal player rankings.
COLE FORSMAN
Cole Forsman is a reporter for Gonzaga Nation, a member of Sports Illustrated’s FanNation network. Cole holds a degree in Journalism and Sports Management from Gonzaga University.