New eligibility ruling could transform Gonzaga's roster plans

A massive wave of talent just flooded the market in college basketball, and Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs are poised to capitalize in a major way.

A judge in Colorado granted a preliminary injunction for the entire class of 2022, meaning the NCAA must declare them all eligible for the upcoming 2026-27 season.

The NCAA recently implemented new 'five-in-five' rules, meaning student-athletes going forward will get five years to complete up to five seasons of eligibility. However, the recently graduated seniors were not grandfathered into that ruling, and many of them began pursuing lawsuits against the NCAA. A judge in Ohio granted an injunction for 15 or so student-athletes earlier this month, while a judge in Tennessee did the same for 17 student-athletes on Friday.

And now this ruling, from Judge Charlotte Sweeney of the U.S. District Court of Colorado, has completely opened the floodgates, allowing any four-year senior to return to college for a fifth season.

Understandably, this will have massive implications across all college sports, including for Gonzaga's basketball programs.

BREAKING: Judge Charlotte Sweeney of the U.S. District Court of Colorado has granted a class-wide preliminary injunction that requires the NCAA to declare eligible *all* HS class of 2022 athletes who exhausted four seasons of eligibility this spring.
— Sam C. Ehrlich (@samcehrlich) July 31, 2026

The Race for Dent is on

Dec 13, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Gonzaga has a gaping hole at point guard after Mario Saint-Supery's surprise departure, and no one is better suited to fill the role than former New Mexico and UCLA guard Donovan Dent.

Dent, who was Mountain West Player of the Year in 2024-25, announced plans to retire after his senior year with the Bruins. However, shortly after Saint-Supery's decision became public, Dent revealed he planned to pursue a fifth year of eligibility, which he has now received thanks to this ruling in Colorado.

Whether Dent plays this upcoming season at Gonzaga or not remains to be seen, but it's easy to see why the Zags are connected to him. Dent averaged 7.6 assists last year at UCLA and is an outstanding facilitator, downhill driver, and pick and roll navigator who the Zags pursued heavily last offseason before he committed to Mick Cronin's club.

The possibility of adding Dent to a starting five that includes Isiah Harwell, Davis Fogle, and elite big men Massamba Diop and Braden Huff is one step closer to reality - and would make the Zags instant national championship contenders.

Who could return?

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Noah Haaland (35). | Photo by Erik Smith

Gonzaga's group of departed seniors was mostly guys who had already spent 5+ years in college, so this ruling doesn't really help bring back any major contributors. Graham Ike, Adam Miller, Jalen Warley, and Tyon Grant-Foster are not eligible to return via this injunction, leaving walk-on Noah Haaland the only option from the men's team who could come back.

Haaland was a nice depth piece for Gonzaga, but is not a major needle mover if he is given a roster spot heading into 2026-27.

On the women's side, however, coach Lisa Fortier could bring back the program's lone graduating senior in Ines Bettencourt. Bettencourt was among the 45 student-athletes who put their names in the California lawsuit, so she's known to be weighing a return to college basketball.

Meanwhile, Gonzaga still has three open roster spots and returned a whopping 10 out of 13 players from last year's team, so it wouldn't be a tough adjustment whatsoever for the defensive minded guard to run it back in Spokane.

Other Targets

Mar 22, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Skyy Clark (55) | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Gonzaga now has a huge list of players they can go after to fill out the roster. With eligibility concerns still ongoing for 21-year-old Spanish big man Izan Almansa, 26-year-old wing Skylar Wicks, and 23-year-old French guard Nathan de Sousa, the Zags could have up to five open roster spots to play with.

Dent remains priority No. 1, but adding more three point shooting and depth on the perimeter is crucial for this team heading into the Pac-12 in 2026-27.

Players like Skyy Clark (UCLA), Jordan Pope (Texas), Donovan Atwell (Texas Tech), and even former Saint Mary's guard Aidan Mahaney are all known to be pursuing a return to college hoops - and all fit the needs for Gonzaga.

Many rosters around the country are full or nearly full, putting Gonzaga in a position to potentially pull in a couple of marquee names to round out the roster as the calendar flips to August.

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