5-star recruit appears on Gonzaga's radar during pivotal NCAA recruiting period

Originally posted on Gonzaga Bulldogs on SI
By Cole Forsman | Last updated May 19, 2025 8:21 PM ET

With the transfer portal in a cool-off stage, the Gonzaga men's basketball program has turned its attention to the recruiting trails, particularly toward some of the top prospects in the class of 2026.

The Bulldogs are arranging a summer visit with top-five center Sam Funches and have tentative plans to bring the No. 1 player in the class, Tyran Stokes, on a trip to Spokane at some point in the future as well.

Coming off a big recruiting weekend, it appears there's another top-end high school player on the Zags' radar.

Toni Bryant, a consensus five-star recruit in the class of 2026, had several schools watch him suit up with Tre Mann Elite on the Puma Pro16 Circuit this weekend, according to League Ready's recruiting analyst Sam Kayser. Per Kayser, Gonzaga was one of the schools in attendance.

2026 5⭐️ Toni Bryant had the following schools into watch him this weekend, source told @LeagueRDY:

Missouri (head coach)
LSU (head coach)
Miami (head coach)
Kansas State (head coach)
Kentucky
Cal
USF
Kansas
North Carolina
Duke
NC State
Ole Miss
Ohio State
Texas
Gonzaga… pic.twitter.com/Wf8lONvCAJ
— Sam Kayser (@247HSHoops) May 18, 2025

Who is Toni Bryant?

Bryant is a 6-foot-10 forward from Zephyrhills, Florida, who plays high school basketball at North Tampa Christian (Florida). He's a consensus top-20 recruit in the class of 2026, earning a five-star grade from 247Sports, which ranked him as the No. 10 player in the 2026 class; as well as ESPN (No. 12), On3 (No. 12) and Rivals (No. 16).

Bryant's recruitment over the past few months has taken him a handful of unofficial visits to Kansas, North Carolina State, Oklahoma State and Virginia, per 247Sports. He's also been on a couple of official visits with Cal and Boston College, he recently told On3, and is talking with Missouri, Kansas, USC and NC State about taking official visits in the future. According to 247Sports, Bryant holds 21 scholarship offers.

Gonzaga's 2026 recruiting class outlook

While the Zags don't have a commit in the 2026 class, they've been able to make progress with Stokes and Funches over the last few weeks.

Stokes told ESPN's Paul Biancardi earlier this month that he plans on visiting Gonzaga before making his college decision. The Notre Dame High School (California) product recently canceled a visit with Kentucky after going on one with Kansas in April.

Funches, the No. 3-ranked center in the class according to 247Sports Composite, told Athlon Sports that he's looking at arranging a visit for either June 27-29 or the weekend of Kraziness in the Kennel (presumably set for Oct. 4).

This past weekend was a big one for college coaches and high school prospects alike, as it served as the only evaluation period on the NCAA recruiting calendar for NCAA-certified events until next month. From May 21 through June 1, it won't be permissible to make in-person recruiting contacts or host recruits for on-campus visits.