Five-star recruit Isiah Harwell lists Gonzaga among final four schools
One of the stronger offseasons in recent memory could end with a major recruiting coup for Gonzaga.
Isiah Harwell, a five-star guard and top-10 overall prospect in the recruiting class of 2025, listed Gonzaga as one of the four schools he’ll be considering before announcing his college commitment on Sept. 12, according to On3.com.
Harwell’s other three finalists include two Big 12 schools – Houston and Texas – along with Cal, which recently left the Pac-12 to join the ACC.
The Pocatello native and Wasatch Academy (Utah) standout also lists offers from Alabama, Baylor, BYU, Louisville, North Carolina, Arizona State, Creighton, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Kansas State, Miami, Mississippi State, Texas Tech, UCLA, Villanova and Washington State among others, according to 247Sports.com.
Harwell previously released a list of nine finalists, but will no longer consider North Carolina, Baylor, UCLA, Alabama, and Idaho State.
Harwell spoke highly of Gonzaga while visiting the campus in Spokane for a Feb. 24 game against Santa Clara and expanded on his recruiting process with the Bulldogs during an interview with On3’s Joe Tipton.
“The atmosphere was great,” Harwell said. “I knew they had good fans, but I didn’t know they brought it like that. It’s a small school, but they definitely brought the energy. It was crazy there. My favorite part of the campus was Coach (Mark) Few’s office. I mean, he had so many trophies in there. Just being in there, you can tell he is just a winner.
“You know, going on that visit I was able to get closer with everyone there. I finally got to meet them all in person, so that was cool. The coaching staff, the trainers, the team, I got to meet everyone. It was amazing.”
Of Harwell’s four finalists, Gonzaga is the only one to have hosted the 6-foot-5 combo guard for an official visit, but he’s taken an unofficial visit to Houston and plans to take an official visit to Cal on June 25.
Harwell suffered a knee injury midway through the 2023-24 season at Wasatch Academy, forcing him to miss the remainder of his junior year and a big chunk of the AAU circuit.
The son of former Idaho State standout Ron Harwell, Isiah is the second-rated shooting guard in the country and seventh-rated overall prospect according to 247Sports.com
The Zags haven’t landed a high school commitment in the 2025 and 2026 recruiting classes but have been able to build for the future with the transfer portal, signing Colgate guard Braden Smith – who will have two years of eligibility remaining after redshirting next season – and Tarleton State forward Emmanuel Innocenti, who’ll be entering his sophomore season this fall.
Gonzaga’s also been linked with 7-foot Real Madrid center Ismaila Diagne, a native of Senegal who would have four years of eligibility if he signs with the Bulldogs prior to the 2024-25 season.