Gonzaga guard Braeden Smith grew up in Seattle, played his first two years of college basketball in New York at Colgate, and then moved back across the country to Spokane where he spent the past two seasons with the Bulldogs.
Now the 6’0 guard will land smack in the middle of the two coasts for his final collegiate stop, with Joe Tipton of On3 reporting the rising senior has committed to play for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in 2026-27.
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Smith flirted with a move back home after visiting Washington – where he’d reunite with former Zag Steele Venters – and he also took a visit to Utah before committing to Notre Dame.
The 6’0 point guard becomes the third Zag to commit elsewhere this offseason, joining Venters (Washington) and Emmanuel Innocenti, who will play for Randy Bennett at Arizona State.
Ismaila Diagne is reportedly on a visit to Florida Atlantic, while walk-on guards Joaquim ArauzMoore and Cade Orness remain uncommitted as of this writing.
Smith came to Gonzaga after earning Patriot League Player of the Year honors in 2023-24 in his sophomore season at Colgate. That year with the Raiders, Smith averaged 12.5 points, 5.6 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game, leading them to a 25-10 record including a first place finish at 16-2 in the Patriot League. They earned a No. 14 seed in the NCAA Tournament and fell, 92-67, to Baylor.
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Smith then hit the portal and committed to Gonzaga, with the intention of redshirting for the 2024-25 season to study GU’s system and play behind seniors Ryan Nembhard and Nolan Hickman.
The end result was Smith being ready right out of the gate for the Zags in 2025-26, averaging 6.3 points and 4.9 assists through the first 16 games of the season, shooting 54.3% on twos and 39.3% from beyond the arc while leading Gonzaga to a 15-1 record.
That included a monster 21 point, seven assist performance on 7-10 shooting against Oregon, followed by a 15 point, eight assist showing on 6-8 shooting in 18 minutes to open up conference play against Pepperdine.
However, Smith gradually lost playing time to freshman Mario Saint-Supery as the year went on, and by mid-February he wasn’t getting much run at all. Over the final nine games of the season, Smith played more than 10 minutes just four times, averaging 11.7 MPG along with 3.1 points and 2.0 assists during that stretch.
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After playing just 11 total minutes, and not getting a single field goal attempt in Gonzaga’s two NCAA Tournament games, it wasn’t much of a surprise when Smith entered the portal to look for a new home in his final season of eligibility.
Fit at Notre Dame
Coach Micah Shrewsberry is in the process of rebuilding a backcourt that lost superstar scoring guard Markus Burton to Indiana via the transfer portal, while star freshman Jalen Haralson moved on to Tennessee and the team’s third leading scorer, Cole Certa, moved to conference rival Clemson.
Smith will partner with Shrewsberry’s son – also named Braeden – to form an undersized but potentially symbiotic backcourt in South Bend.
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Alongside newcomer Ethan Roberts – who averaged 16.9 points and 2.3 assists at Penn last year – Smith should provide veteran experience and playmaking chops to the Irish, operating as a facilitator for Braeden Shrewsberry (40.2% from three) and Roberts, as well as Winthrop transfer Logan Duncomb.
What it means for Gonzaga
Gonzaga has just three players expected to return who played on last year’s team in Saint-Supery, Davis Fogle, and Braden Huff. Redshirt freshmen Parker Jefferson and Alonzo Metz are expected back as well, alongside a quartet of newcomers: Houston transfer Isiah Harwell, as well as incoming freshmen Jack Kayil, Luca Foster, and Sam Funches.
Gonzaga is currently looking to make a big splash in the frontcourt via the transfer portal, with Massamba Diop the top target, but the team has also made contact with a handful of guards who could replace Smith on the roster; including Gavin Sykes (Long Beach State), Ethan Copeland (Stetson), Jeremiah Johnson (Campbell) and Mason Williams (Iowa State).
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/gonzaga as Braeden Smith becomes third Gonzaga transfer to land at power conference program.
