Gonzaga signs Virginia transfer Jalen Warley to financial aid agreement

Warley will join the Bulldogs in 2025-26

Jalen Warley has appeared in 96 games and made 58 starts over the course of his three seasons in college basketball / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Gonzaga men's basketball fans have probably spotted an unfamiliar face roaming the team's bench during home games lately.

Though he won't be suiting up any time soon, Jalen Warley, a 6-foot-7 wing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has still been supporting his new Bulldogs teammates from the sidelines and in practice after he verbally committed to the Bulldogs back in November.

Gonzaga made the move official on Monday, as Warley signed a financial aid agreement to attend the school and will join the men's basketball program as a senior for the 2025-26 campaign.

Warley spent the past three seasons at Florida State before transferring to Virginia last summer. In the wake of Tony Bennett's surprise retirement, though, Warley decided to change courses too. As he entered his name into the transfer portal in late October, Warley opted to redshirt the 2024-25 campaign while he searched for a new home.

Warley chose Gonzaga about 10 days following his visit to Spokane on Nov. 15, when he had a front-row seat to watch the Zags thump UMass-Lowell at the McCarthey Athletic Center. Warley also visited Iowa State and canceled another trip planned with Texas A&M.

Warley averaged 7.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 33 games, including 32 starts, as a junior at Florida State in 2023-24. He finished in the top 20 in the ACC in total steals (42) and steals per game (1.3).

While in Tallahassee, Florida, Warely briefly crossed paths with current Gonzaga assistant coach R-Jay Barsh, who was an assistant on the Seminoles staff when Warley was a sophomore in 2022-23. Now the two reunite in the Inland Northwest, as Warley’s commitment will go a long way in shaping how the program looks next season.

The Zags will graduate six seniors this spring, including all five starters. Redshirt sophomore Braden Huff and sophomore Dusty Stromer come up the ranks, along with Colgate transfer Braden Smith, who took a redshirt year upon joining the team this offseason and will likely play a crucial role at the point guard position when looking past this year. The team could also return 7-foot freshman Ismaila Diagne, 6-foot-8 junior Jun Seok Yeo and 6-foot-6 sophomore Emmanuel Innocenti.

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