If Gonzaga’s going to keep up in the recruiting race for five-star prospect Tyran Stokes, the Bulldogs will have to contend with some of the deepest pockets in college basketball.
Kentucky, Louisville, Kansas and Arkansas are considered the “early contenders” to land the class of 2026’s No. 1-ranked recruit, according to an On3+ article from Joe Tipton.
Schools like Houston, Oregon, UCLA, Michigan and others have also gotten in the mix after extending offers to the Louisville, Kentucky, native. Stokes, who told ESPN earlier this month that he plans on visiting Gonzaga, didn’t mention anything of the sort to Tipton in his latest recruitment update.
Stokes has been on two visits so far with Louisville, which hosted him this past fall; and Kansas, which had the 6-foot-7 forward on a trip to Lawrence, Kansas, last month. Per Tipton, USC and North Carolina are two other schools to monitor as well.
Kentucky was supposed to have Stokes on a visit last week, but that visit has been postponed, per Tipton. Stokes is ranked by 247Sports and ESPN as the No. 1 prospect in the class of 2026. He attends Notre Dame High School (California); the alma mater of former top-35 recruit and ex-Gonzaga wing, Dusty Stromer.
Coming off an impressive showing this past weekend at the EYBL Memphis Live Period, Stokes recently accepted an invite to participate in the 2025 USA Basketball Men’s U19 National Team training camp in Colorado Springs, Colorado, this June. Should he earn a spot on the 12-man roster, Stokes would have an opportunity to gain some valuable experience competing against high-level competition in the FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup in Switzerland.
Members of Gonzaga’s coaching staff flocked to star-studded AAU circuits this past weekend to get a closer look at some of the best players in the 2026 class. The Bulldogs were reportedly in Memphis to see four-star Kohl Rosario compete in the Nike EYBL Circuit. Other reports indicated that the Zags also watched five-star Toni Bryant.
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