Tarleton State transfer Emmanuel Innocenti becomes newest Gonzaga player after signing NLI

Emmanuel Innocenti, Gonzaga’s most recent acquisition in the transfer portal, has signed a financial aid agreement with the Bulldogs, the school announced Friday.

The Tarleton State forward, who earned All-Western Athletic Conference freshman and defensive honors last season, signed with Gonzaga just two days after committing to the Bulldogs.

Innocenti became the third player to transfer to Gonzaga this offseason and becomes the third to sign a letter of intent with the program, joining Pepperdine wing Michael Ajayi and Arkansas guard Khalif Battle, whose signing was announced on Thursday night.

A 6-foot-5, 198-pound forward, Innocenti set a Tarleton State Division I freshman record by totaling 1,109 minutes last season. The Ranzanico, Italy, product averaged 33.8 minutes per game and appeared in all 35 contests for Tarleton State, which won 25 games, finished second in the WAC regular-season standings and advanced to the semifinals of the postseason College Insiders Tournament.

During his debut college season, Innocenti finished top 10 in the school’s Division I era in five statistical categories, including minutes per game (31.7, eighth), steals (59, second) and rebounds (223, second). Innocenti’s 1.9 steals per game in WAC play ranked second in the conference and he set a Tarleton State DI single-season record with 188 defensive rebounds.

Innocenti played four seasons for Stella Azzurra Roma, a team in Italy’s third division, prior to moving to the United States.

The Zags have added three transfers and are thought to be in the running for a fourth. Colgate guard Braeden Smith, a Seattle native who won Patriot League Player of the Year honors last season, is considering Gonzaga along with Cal, Washington and Davidson, according to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein.