Gonzaga Bulldogs' projected starting lineup, rotation for 2025-26 season

At this point in April, it's anyone's guess as to what the Gonzaga Bulldogs will look like in the fall. With four rotational players set to graduate, three names in the transfer portal and zero confirmation from the Zags' starting frontcourt on whether they're returning next season, the only certainty regarding the 2025-26 roster is that it is far from being finalized. Not to mention, Mark Few and his coaching staff have yet to reel in a transfer out of the portal (it closes April 22) despite reaching out to a lengthy list of talented guards and wings since the 30-day window opened March 24.

That being said, here's a look at who's projected to fill out the Zags' rotation next season. Gonzaga's projected starting lineup With Ryan Nembhard graduating this spring, the keys to Gonzaga's offense are to be handed over to point guard Braeden Smith. The 6-foot-tall Seattle native put up 12.



0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.7 rebounds per game with Colgate in the 2023-24 season, earning Patriot League Player of the Year honors while leading his team to the NCAA Tournament.

When he transferred to Gonzaga following his sophomore campaign, Smith decided not to burn a year of eligibility and instead learned the ins and outs of the program while taking a redshirt year. Smith will have two years of eligibility starting with the 2025-26 campaign, giving him an opportunity to play alongside shooting guard Emmanuel Innocenti for the remainder of their college careers. Patience was a virtue for the 6-foot-5 Italian during his first season with the Zags.

Innocenti logged just 5.2 minutes per game in nonleague, but his role increased greatly down the stretch of the regular season and in the postseason due to his smothering on-ball defense. Over Gonzaga's final 19 games of the season, including a stretch of three consecutive starts for Innocenti in late January, he was on the floor 16.

6 minutes per game and averaged 2.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.

2 steals in that span. Innocenti also recorded 22 assists while committing just four turnovers in that stretch. On the wing, forward Jalen Warley is set to make his Gonzaga debut next fall after joining the program as a transfer from Virginia in late November.

The 6-foot-7 Philadelphia native is also more of a defensive-minded player, with a career average of 1.3 steals across 96 games with Florida State to show for it. On the other end of the floor, Warley averaged 7.

5 points while shooting 42.4% from the field and 1-for-7 from 3-point range during his final season with the Seminoles. Like Smith, having a redshirt year to work on his game behind the scenes should help Warley moving forward.

The bulk of Gonzaga's offense will once again run through forward Graham Ike, whether that be in the post, the pick-and-roll game or anywhere else on the floor; the 6-foot-9 redshirt senior can create scoring opportunities for himself. Ike's led the Zags in scoring in each of the last two seasons with 16.5 points per game in the 2023-24 campaign, followed by 17.

3 points per game this past season. It certainly wouldn't be a surprise to see Ike make it onto a few preseason All-America ballots later this summer. Rounding out Gonzaga's starting five for next season is center Braden Huff .

The 6-foot-10 post has certainly earned a spot in the starting lineup next to Ike, giving the Zags quite the one-two punch up front that not many other teams in the country have at the moment. In his three postseason starts, Huff averaged 15.7 points and 5.

3 rebounds while logging 29.3 minutes per game. Gonzaga's projected rotational players It'll be interesting to monitor the development of center Ismaila Diagne and his role with the Zags after he flashed the ability to protect the rim in short runs with the team as a freshman.

In a game against Santa Clara, Diagne recorded nine points, four rebounds and a block in 19 minutes. While being limited to 10 games due to injury, Diagne averaged 3.4 points and 1.

0 rebounds. Freshman wing Davis Fogle could play meaningful minutes right away for the Bulldogs, depending on what they do in the transfer portal over the next few months. The 6-foot-6 Anacortes, Washington, native is the No.

35-ranked recruit in the class of 2025 according to 247Sports composite. Fogle transferred to play his senior year of high school at AZ Compass Prep in Arizona. It remains to be seen how healthy guard Steele Venters will be in the fall, though the Eastern Washington transfer is doing what he can to get back on the court following back-to-back season-ending injuries that have postponed his Gonzaga debut two years later than it should've been.

Venters shot above 40% from 3-point range during his three seasons with the Eagles..