What NCAA's one-time transfer window means for Gonzaga

Players put on a "designated student-athlete" list are exempt from roster limitations implemented by the House settlement. In late June, the NCAA announced that Division-I programs will no longer include sport-specific scholarship limits and will instead follow new roster guidelines as part of the multi-billion-dollar arrangement that will also introduce revenue sharing to college athletics this upcoming season.

Basketball roster sizes can increase from 13 to 15 players starting with the 2025-26 campaign, though time will tell how many programs actually utilize the two extra spots. It was somewhat common for teams to intentionally stay below the previous scholarship limit so they had as much roster flexibility as possible for the following season.

Gonzaga actually crossed the 15-player threshold recently, following the addition of Spanish point guard Mario Saint-Supery. On top of reeling in the 6-foot-4 guard, the Bulldogs added three other freshmen (Davis Fogle, Parker Jefferson, Alonzo Metz) and a pair of transfers (Adam Miller and Tyon Grant-Foster) to a roster that includes four players who played for them during the 2024-25 season (Graham Ike, Braden Huff, Ismaila Diagne, Emmanuel Innocenti), plus two redshirt players (Jalen Warley and Braeden Smith), three walk-ons (Cade Orness, Joaquim Arauz-Moore, Noah Haaland) and an injured Steele Venters.

Technically, only power conference programs are required to opt into the new roster limitations. That would let Gonzaga, a West Coast Conference member for one more season, off the hook for now, though it's unclear how the school's transition to the Pac-12 in 2026 will impact its autonomous status. And it appears most of Division-I has accepted the impending changes anyway, with 319 schools choosing to opt into the House settlement for the 2025-26 year, per Dellenger.

If Gonzaga has opted in — the deadline to do so was June 30 — Mark Few and his coaching staff won't be able to have 16 players rostered by the time opening night rolls around in November.

A school can place a player on a "designated student-athlete" list if they would have been removed from the school's 2025-26 roster due to new roster limits; were an eligible member of a team in 2024-25 or were recruited and assured a 2025-26 roster spot by a different school. There's no limit to how many athletes a school can designate, and players will always have the "designated student-athlete" tag for the remainder of their careers.

Schools that need to submit student-athletes to a "designated student-athlete" list are able to do so until July 6. Division I programs aren't allowed to reduce or cancel a player's athletically related financial aid to create roster size.

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