Where does Gonzaga’s newest high-profile recruit fit in with the 2025-2026 roster?
Hello, fellow Zag fans!
As the newest member of the Slipper Still Fits team I’d like to begin by saying how thrilled I am to be a part of this community that’s meant so much to me in recent years. I’ve been watching the Zags since Dan Monson coached Matt Santangelo in the old Kennel and t’s an honor to get to share some insights and analysis with other fans. I truly believe Gonzaga fans are some of the most knowledgeable and enthusiastic in the country and I couldn’t be more honored to contribute to this community in any small way I can.
To begin, I’d like to take a look at one of Gonzaga’s most exciting new recruits, Davis Fogle. He’s an extremely exciting prospect who’s drawn comparisons to Julian Strawther and Corey Kispert. His addition to the squad has many fans salivating. But should we perhaps consider leaning on the Hype Train’s brakes before we get ahead of ourselves? Or is it full steam ahead?
Without further ado…
It’s easy for fans to get carried away with high expectations for their team during the long, post-portal-closure days of the college basketball off-season. However, with the recent commitment of Davis Fogle, Gonzaga fans have plenty to be excited about. Fogle, a 6’7 shooting guard from Anacortes, Washington will enroll as a freshman for the 2025-2026 season after turning down offers from Creighton, Kansas, and Nebraska. He was the top-ranked recruit in Washington State and has since become the second highest ranked recruit in Arizona after transferring from Anacortes High School to Compass Prep, an elite basketball program in Chandler, Arizona, known for advancing players to the next level.
In his junior season at Anacortes HS, Fogle averaged nearly 32 points per game on 50% shooting, along with 10 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game. Regardless of how one ultimately feels about Fogle’s commitment, these numbers are jaw-dropping. It’s rare to find a shooting guard who can score at such a high level while also dominating the glass. Fogle can defend, shoot from deep, slash, cut, scrap, and hustle. Comparisons have so far been drawn to Julian Strawther and Corey Kispert; obviously, this is a massive amount of hype to live up to. However, it’s important to manage expectations and realistically assess where Fogle might fit within the 2025-2026 team. In order to do so, let’s examine the career trajectories of similarly-ranked recruits before him.
According to 24/7Sports, Fogle ranks tenth on Gonzaga’s list of the top 50 all-time highest profile recruits, between Russian big man Pavel Zhakarov (11) and Kaden Perry (9). As a shooting guard, Fogle is the second highest-ranked recruit at that position in the history of the program (prior to his commitment, that honor belonged to Matt Bouldin at the number 20 spot). On paper, this is extremely promising for a team that will be without current shooting guard Nolan Hickman. However, there are some caveats to signing such a young player with much still to prove at the high school level.
One significant challenge for those hyping Fogle is that head coach Mark Few rarely gives freshmen substantial playing time. Jalen Suggs and Chet Holmgren are notable exceptions to this policy. Before their commitment to Gonzaga, it was assumed that Suggs and Holmgren would be one-and-done players, destined for the NBA if they could stay healthy and continue developing during their brief collegiate careers, and despite Fogle’s pedigree, he isn’t yet at their level. It’s possible that Fogle could enter the starting rotation right off the bat and meet fans’ high expectations right away, but it’s more likely that he’ll be coming off the bench in his first year as a Zag. As of now, Fogle is skills-wise more akin to Dusty Stromer than he is Jalen Suggs. Bear in mind, however, that Fogle still has one full year of HS basketball to play before he steps on GU’s campus.
It’s very possible, also, that Fogle may have to learn a whole new position before he even enters the rotation in Few’s complex flex-motion offense. Few tends to prefer a tandem backcourt in which his point guard and shooting guard are interchangeable in key moments. Gary Bell, Josh Perkins, Nigel Williams-Goss, Jordan Matthews, Zach Norvell, Ryan Woolridge, Admon Gilder, and Malachi Smith all played double duty at point- and shooting guard during their GU careers and while Fogle may be an extremely gifted shooting guard, he remains an unproven point guard. In Few’s offense, Fogle’s skills and size are much more suited to the small-forward position. This is where the exciting comparison to Julian Strawther comes into focus. Strawther committed to Gonzaga a a shooting guard with extremely high upside but eventually finished his career on the wing, a position where he thrived due to his quick release and deep threat scoring abilities. In short, even if most of Fogle’s experience is as a shooting guard, due to his height and shooting abilities it’s far more likely he will need to spend some time getting comfortable on the wing before he sees significant minutes.
So where does this leave the fans? We have reason to be excited about an extremely talented young player with high potential. Fogle could be Gonzaga’s next Julian Strawther or Rui Hachimura—a potent offensive threat willing to adapt to a new position and wait their turn for big minutes. He could also be the next Hunter Sallis, a player of jaw-dropping potential who just never got comfortable with his role in the rotation. My hope is that he makes an immediate impact, whether as a starter or the first player off the bench, like Dusty Stromer. Fogle has a tough row to hoe ahead of him: a complex offensive scheme, perhaps a new position to learn, battles for playing time, etc. However, Fogle is also a unique blend of size and skill that Gonzaga has rarely seen in a young recruit. Obviously, there is just no way to predict how Fogle’s role at GU will play out. But this is the joy of the off-season: speculation and hype.