The dog days of summer are almost upon us, which means it’s recruiting season for the Gonzaga coaching staff, scouring the nation for future Zags at AAU tournaments on all the different circuits and camps.
There are multiple names that the Zags have targeted and tried to push to officially visit campus in Spokane (all national rankings per On3):
No. 1 Tyran Stokes
The top overall player in the class is in discussions with Gonzaga about setting up an official visit in the near future. Something worth noting is that the 6-7 forward from Notre Dame-Sherman Oaks won’t come without a larger-than-life paycheck, receiving a Name, Image, and Likeness or NIL valuation of $1.6 million.
Stoke’s already taken three official visits with Louisville (October 3rd), Kansas (April 19th), and Kentucky (June 8th). He’s also planning to take trips to Oregon and Arkansas.
No. 9 Ikenna Alozie
The 6-2, 185-pound top-ranked point guard Ikenna Alozie is planning an official visit to Gonzaga either at the end of June during Spokane Hoopfest or Kraziness in the Kennel at the beginning of October. He is also planning trips with the Kentucky Wildcats, Kansas Jayhawks, Louisville Cardinals, and Houston Cougars. The Washington Huskies and Arizona Wildcats are also said to be in the mix.
Alozie is originally from Lagos, Nigeria, and is looking for a family atmosphere in his choice of a college. Gonzaga very much has that feeling.
No. 13 Toni Bryant
On the Puma Pro16 circuit, the 6-10 forward has been turning the heads of college coaches and general managers due to his overall physique and power.
No official visit has been set with the Zags quite yet. Still, Toni Bryant has multiple official visits set around the country (Florida State on August 29th, North Carolina on September 1st, Missouri on September 6th, NC State on September 28th, and Michigan on October 17th).
No. 46 Sam Funches
The seven-foot big man’s official visit date will most likely be at Kraziness in the Kennel during the first week of October. He’s considering the trip to take place during Spokane Hoopfest, which runs from June 28th through June 29th, but it’s cutting it close now.
The Slipper Still Fits spoke with one of the top centers in the 2026 recruiting class and got his early thoughts on the Gonzaga program. Assistant coach R-Jay Barsh is handling his recruitment.
“They’re just a great team. I’ve heard about the nine consecutive Sweet Sixteens under Mark Few. You have a whole lot of bigs that have made it to the NBA.”
“He was talking about my development. Mainly development. It was something along the lines of like it’s not about what you do, but it’s about how you do it… They go 110 percent.”
No. 62 Dean Rueckert
The top player coming out of the state of Utah is hearing mostly from Gonzaga, Utah, BYU, Louisville, Stanford, and Washington. Dean Rueckert is a 6-7 wing who looks to be a 3-and-D prospect at the next level.
Assistant coach Zach Norvell was recently in Memphis for the Nike EYBL session, checking out Rueckert as well as Stokes and Rosario.
No. 153 Kohl Rosario
One of the highest risers in the entire country this summer. He’s jumped on the scene on the Nike EYBL circuit and at the NBPA Top 100 Camp. The 6-5 combo guard went on three official visits with Florida State, Oregon, and Kansas. Rosario has two future official visits with Texas A&M (June 22) and Duke (June 26). Nothing with Gonzaga at this time.
In the 2027 recruiting class, Dooney Johnson is the lone reported name that has heard from Gonzaga so far. Out of Milwaukee Juneau, the 6-4 wing is ranked No. 20 amongst his peers.
He’s also heard from the likes of Indiana, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Marquette, Washington, Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Minnesota, LSU, BYU, Cincinnati, and many others.
Arden Cravalho is a Gonzaga University graduate from the Bay Area… Follow him on Twitter @a_cravalho
