Gonzaga offers 5-star small forward and top 15 recruit in 2027 class

Mark Few is looking for his second commitment of the 2027 class

Jan 2, 2026; Mesa, AZ, USA; Arizona Compass Prep forward DeMarcus Henry (15) against Spire Institute (OH) during the HoopHall West Tournament at Skyline High School. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The live evaluation period for the 2027 recruiting class opened on Friday, and already Mark Few and the Gonzaga staff are making moves.

Gonzaga extended an offer to 2027 5-star DeMarcus Henry, a 6'7 small forward currently playing at Compass Prep in Arizona - the same high school Davis Fogle spent his senior season.

Henry is currently ranked No. 11 overall and No. 3 among small forwards in the 2027 class at 247Sports, which would make him among the highest rated recruits in program history should he commit.

Gonzaga will have plenty of competition for Henry's services, however, with North Carolina, Arkansas, and Kentucky all offering the 6'7 wing...in the past three days alone. Previous offers include LSU, Cincinnati, BYU, Louisville, Oregon, Texas A&M, West Virginia, USC, and Ohio State - which will be a difficult offer for Henry to turn down.

Henry's older brother, Chris Henry Jr, is committed to play wide receiver at Ohio State in 2026, while his sister Seini redshirted for the Buckeyes women's basketball team last year.

Chris, Seini, and Demarcus are all children of the late Chris Henry, an NFL wide receiver who died in 2009 at age 26 after falling out of a moving truck during a domestic dispute with his fiancée. He was the first case where an active player could be diagnosed with CTE, since it can only be definitively diagnosed during an autopsy.

While Henry didn't play at Ohio State - but rather West Virginia - that familial connection will give coach Jake Diebler a bit of a leg up in bringing the top-15 recruit to Columbus to play for the Buckeyes.

Blessed!!

After a great conversation with Coach Rjay Barsh, I’m thankful to receive an offer from Gonzaga University. #gozags pic.twitter.com/8FjSmnufeP

— DeMarcus Henry (@demarcushenry15) May 19, 2026

Scouting Henry

Henry not only played for a program Gonzaga is familiar with at Compass Prep, he absolutely dominated. He led the Dragons to a 25-3 record and a No. 4 national ranking this past season, averaging 12.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game and earning MaxPreps All-America honorable mention.

As if that weren't enough, Henry has been on fire in the early stages of the summer circuit as well. Playing for Vegas Elite on the Nike EYBL circuit, Henry averaged 19.3 points on 51.1% shooting over this past weekend, while putting up 16.3 points, 12.7 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, and 2.3 assists across three games in Atlanta earlier this month.

The smooth left-hander has elite size and length for his position, and offers the athleticism and versatility to guard 1-4 at the collegiate level.

Gonzaga's 2027 targets and commits

The Zags have one commitment already in the 2027 class in Dooney Johnson, a 6'5 4-star guard from Milwaukee who 247Sports had No. 39 in their updated class rankings. Gonzaga has also been strongly connected to Jalen Davis, a 6'3 4-star combo guard from Bremerton, WA who is No. 14 in the class, as well as 6'5 4-star wing Gene Roebuck from California, who is at No. 50.

Gonzaga's 2026 class consists of a pair of 4-star recruits in 6'5 wing Luca Foster (No. 50) and 7'0 center Sam Funches (No. 94) as well as 6'10 Real Madrid forward Izan Almansa, who is awaiting eligibility but planning to join the team this fall.