Gonzaga transfer Emmanuel Innocenti announces commitment to Randy Bennett and Arizona State

Two years after he tried his hand at getting Emmanuel Innocenti to join his Saint Mary's squad, Randy Bennett landed a commitment from the former Gonzaga wing out of the transfer portal on Monday.

Instead of packing his bags for Moraga, California, though, Innocenti will join Bennett in Tempe, Arizona, where the longtime Gaels coach now resides as head coach of Arizona State.

Innocenti, a 6-foot-5 wing who appeared in 66 games over the past two seasons with the Zags, confirmed his pledge to the Sun Devils via Instagram on Monday after Jon Rothstein initially reported the move. The 2026-27 campaign will be Innocenti's senior season.

Of the five Gonzaga players who announced their intentions of transferring after the portal window opened on April 7, Innocenti is the only one who's committed to a new school at this point. The other four — Ismaila Diagne, Cade Orness, Braeden Smith and Steele Venters — have yet to pick a new home for the upcoming season.

Innocenti reportedly was between Saint Mary's and Gonzaga after he entered the transfer portal following his freshman year at Tarleton State, where he received Western Athletic Conference All-Defense and All-Freshman honors at the conclusion of the 2023-24 campaign. He wound up choosing Mark Few and Gonzaga in May 2024 as a top-50 available transfer according to EvanMiya.com.

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Emmanuel Innocenti (5). | Photo by Myk Crawford

A crowded wing group full of upperclassmen put Innocenti in a reserve role for the 2024-25 campaign, in which he logged 12.1 minutes and averaged 1.7 points per contest across 31 appearances, though his responsibilities increased as a junior this past season. Starting all but six games for a 31-4 Gonzaga squad, he put up 6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game while finishing No. 3 on the team with 36 total steals.

In addition to his improvements as a scorer, Innocenti grew into becoming arguably Gonzaga's most relied-upon on-ball defender on the perimeter. His length and athleticism allowed him to guard multiple positions effectively and switch screens — a luxury only Gonzaga's most elite defensive teams have had from their wing position.

Innocenti's defensive prowess was likely a major reason why he was rated by 247Sports as the No. 24 small forward in the 2026 transfer cycle (No. 166 player overall).

Gonzaga, which is also set to lose Tyon Grant-Foster, Adam Miller and Jalen Warley to graduation, began to replenish its wing depth Monday with a commitment from Houston transfer and former top-20 recruit in the 2025 class, Isiah Harwell. The 6-foot-6 Idaho native will join the Zags following his freshman season with the Cougars.

The Zags are also set to bring in 6-foot-5 wing Luca Foster, a four-star prospect from Link Academy (Missouri), as part of the program's 2026 recruiting class.