Gonzaga 2026 Target Sam Funches Climbs Significantly in Updated On3 Class Rankings

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Andy Patton | Last updated Jun 2, 2025 5:38 PM ET

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs have been connected to many of the top players in the 2026 class, including No. 1 overall recruit Tyran Stokes, point guard Ikenna Alozie, and power forward Toni Bryant.

However, the program's lone offer at the moment belongs to center Sam Funches from Germantown, MS, who is slated to take an official visit to Spokane either over Hoopfest weekend in late June or for Gonzaga's Kraziness in the Kennel event, expected to occur on October 4.

Funches was among the biggest risers in the updated 2026 class rankings from Jamie Shaw of On3, climbing from No. 41 to No. 31 overall and maintaining his spot as the No. 4 ranked center in the class.

Updated 2026 On3 150 Basketball Rankings

Breakdown via @JamieShaw5: https://t.co/axiiBuTO6P pic.twitter.com/LeQsz1jftv
— On3 Recruits (@On3Recruits) June 2, 2025

The 7'0 center from Mississippi has 23 total scholarship offers and has taken official visits to Kansas, Ole Miss, and Cal, with plans to visit Gonzaga as well as Vanderbilt, LSU, and Mississippi State.

Funches originally intended to visit Spokane in February to see the Zags take on Pepperdine, but the visit was postponed while his high school team competed in the state playoffs.

Many of Gonzaga's other targets in 2026 were ranked favorably in On3's update, with Stokes maintaining his spot as the No. 1 overall recruit in the class. The 6'7, 245 pound forward is being heavily pursued by Louisville, Kentucky, Kansas, and Arkansas, with Oregon in the mix as well.

Point guard target Ikenna Alozie, who is reportedly planning to visit Spokane in June, stayed at No. 10 overall and No. 2 overall among point guards, while power forward Toni Bryant fell from No. 13 to No. 24 overall. Bryant was visited in person by Gonzaga, but has not set a time to visit campus.

Finally, small forward Dean Rueckert from Provo - who the Zags reportedly contacted months ago - was among the biggest fallers in the class, going from No. 55 to No. 138 overall and dropping to a three-star recruit.

Rueckert is choosing between Washington and Utah, with BYU in the mix as well.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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