Top Ranked Guard and Gonzaga Target Desmond Claude Announces Transfer Portal Decision originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
USC guard Desmond Claude, considered the best available player in the transfer portal, committed to the Washington Huskies on Sunday according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
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Claude will reunite with Wesley Yates III, his teammate at USC last year who previously committed to UW out of the transfer portal.
The 6’5 guard was a top target for Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs, even listing the Zags among his top three finalists, but after the team’s addition of Grand Canyon guard Tyon Grant-Foster it was expected Claude would land elsewhere, and indeed he brings his high level scoring to Seattle while staying in the Big Ten.
Claude started his college career at Xavier, posting 16.6 points, 3.2 assists, and 4.2 rebounds as a sophomore before hitting the portal and landing at USC under new head coach Eric Musselman.
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Claude was one of few bright spots for USC last year, who finished 14th in its first year as a member of the Big Ten. The junior guard averaged 15.8 points, 4.2 assists, and 3.5 boards while commanding the offense in nearly 33 minutes per game.
Gonzaga was looking at Claude to help replenish a backcourt that lost Ryan Nembhard, Nolan Hickman, and Khalif Battle to eligibility and Dusty Stromer to the transfer portal. The team is set to start the season with redshirt guard Braeden Smith at point guard, with transfer additions Adam Miller, Jalen Warley, and Grant-Foster all competing for minutes on the wing alongside returners Emmanuel Innocenti and Steele Venters, plus incoming freshman Davis Fogle.
Claude’s playmaking skills, positional size, and ability to get to the rim would have been a great fit in Spokane, but as a career 27.1% three point shooter his lack of outside shooting could have been a problem for a Zag team that had its worst three point shooting performance in over 25 years last season.
Gonzaga currently has 11 filled scholarships, and is widely expected to land Spanish guard Mario Saint-Supery which would give them three open spots remaining.
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Related: Khalif Battle Shares Strong Feelings About Decision to Transfer to Gonzaga
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
