Gonzaga's first big offseason move signals desire to get younger in 2026-27

The youth movement is on in Spokane after Gonzaga's addition of Isiah Harwell

Jan 28, 2026; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars guard Isiah Harwell (1) makes a jump shot during the game at Ed and Rae Schollmaier Arena. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

After having one of the oldest rosters in college basketball last season, it appears Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs are embracing a youth movement this go-round.

Gonzaga had five players depart the program after exhausting eligibility last year, and Noah Haaland was the only one among them who spent just four years in college.

Gonzaga also saw nearly every soon-to-be upperclassman on the roster depart via the transfer portal, including super senior Steele Venters, rising seniors Braeden Smith and Emmanuel Innocenti, rising junior Ismaila Diagne, and redshirt sophomore Cade Orness.

The team was left with just six total players, and of the three who were in the rotation last year, only one - Braden Huff - is an upperclassman.

Joining Huff will be rising sophomores Davis Fogle and Mario Saint-Supery, as well as redshirt freshman Parker Jefferson and three incoming freshmen: guard Jack Kayil, wing Luca Foster, and center Sam Funches.

More youth incoming

Now the Zags have made their first transfer portal addition, and it is clear a full youth movement is on in Spokane.

Isiah Harwell joins this group as a rising sophomore, playing for Houston as a freshman in 2025-26. The former McDonald's All-American is raw with sky-high upside and was pursued by Gonzaga for over three years before he made the decision to begin his college career at Houston.

Harwell becomes the tenth player on Gonzaga's roster, with nine of them having two or more years of eligibility remaining. Huff is the lone Zag currently on the roster who will be out of eligibility after the 2026-27 season, a significant difference from the past few years which have seen nine total players depart the program due to eligibility - Haaland, Graham Ike, Adam Miller, Jalen Warley, and Tyon Grant-Foster this offseason and Nolan Hickman, Ryan Nembhard, Ben Gregg, and Khalif Battle the previous year.

Even the handful of centers Gonzaga has been connected to in the portal are mostly in that same sophomore class - including Massamba Diop from ASU and Najai Hines from Seton Hall, with both Samet Yigitoglu (SMU) and Moustapha Thiam (Cincinnati) entering their junior year with two years of eligibility remaining.

As if that wasn't a clear enough sign that Gonzaga is looking to get younger - much younger - in 2026-27, most of the other guards/wings the Zags are targeting are in the same age group, including Long Beach State's Gavin Sykes, USF guard Legend Smiley, and Duke's Nik Khamenia.

Retaining talent is always a challenge in the transfer portal era, and it's not hard to see why Gonzaga opted for an older roster last year. But now, with more money steadily flowing in from the new look Pac-12, perhaps they felt it was the right time to get younger and see about building a roster that can stay together for 2+ years...at least for the most part.

Harwell's upside is significant, and both Fogle and Saint-Supery are expected to take big leaps as sophomores in 2026-27. If Kayil and/or Foster are ready to roll right away, this could be a very special - and young - group of Zags for coach Few this upcoming season.