New Mexico transfer Donovan Dent commits to UCLA over Gonzaga and Kentucky

The reigning Mountain West Player of the Year joins the Bruins

New Mexico Lobos transfer guard Donovan Dent (2) committed to play for the UCLA Bruins as the top-ranked player in the transfer portal. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

New Mexico Lobos transfer guard Donovan Dent, the reigning Mountain West Player of the Year, has committed to the UCLA Bruins, according to On3.com's Joe Tipton.

Dent, who was the top-ranked player in the transfer portal, according to On3, chose Mick Cronin and the Bruins over the Gonzaga Bulldogs and Kentucky Wildcats. The 6-foot-2 Riverside, California, native averaged 20.6 points and 6.4 assists his junior season with New Mexico.

Dent spent the past three seasons in Albuquerque, New Mexico, playing for head coach Richard Pitino, who was recently named the next coach of the Xavier Musketeers. In 104 career appearances with the Lobos, Dent averaged 13.5 points, 4.7 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals. He earned All-MWC honors twice and All-MWC Tournament honors this past season.

Dent helped guide the Lobos (27-8, 17-3 Mountain West) to their most wins in over a decade and the program's second straight NCAA Tournament appearance. New Mexico pulled off an upset over the 7-seed Marquette Golden Eagles in the first round behind 21 points from Dent. The Lobos bowed out in the round of 32 to the 2-seed Michigan State Spartans in a 71-63 loss from Cleveland.

BREAKING: New Mexico transfer guard Donovan Dent, one of the top players in the portal, has committed to UCLA, he tells @On3sports. Chose the Bruins over Kentucky and Gonzaga.

The 6-2 junior averaged 20.6 points and 6.4 assists per game this season. Shot 41% from three.… pic.twitter.com/9GwYYqAv3C

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) March 29, 2025

Coming out of Centennial High School (California), Dent was a four-star recruit in the 2022 class according to 247Sports.com. Dent helped guide the Huskies to the CIF Open Division state title his senior year and was named California's Mr. Basketball while starring on a team that featured current Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain and current Loyola Marymount Lions forward Aaron McBride.

The Zags are in a position to target another point guard in the portal, knowing that Ryan Nembhard, Nolan Hickman and Khalif Battle have exhausted their eligibility. Colgate transfer Braeden Smith is likely to take the reins after his redshirt season, as the former Patriot League Player of the Year will have two more years of eligibility starting in 2025-26. Emmanuel Innocenti is also eligible to return for what would be his junior year of college. Dusty Stromer, Jun Seok Yeo and Michael Ajayi have entered their names into the portal since it opened March 24

Gonzaga and UCLA are set to square off next season at Climate Pledge Arena on Dec. 13 as part of a two-year series the schools agreed to last summer. The Bruins beat the Zags, 65-62, at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, this past December.