Former FSU Basketball Guard Commits to Gonzaga

The former five-star will redshirt this season and play in 2025-26.
Jan 17, 2024; Coral Gables, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles guard Jalen Warley (1) dribbles the basketball against the Miami Hurricanes during the first half at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Jan 17, 2024; Coral Gables, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles guard Jalen Warley (1) dribbles the basketball against the Miami Hurricanes during the first half at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Florida State and Leonard Hamilton are off to their best start since the 2019-20 season, sitting at 6-1, but one of their former prized prospects has been dealing with a unique situation.

Jalen Warley, who transferred away from the program this past offseason, initially went to Virginia before Tony Bennett stepped down a few weeks before the start of the season. That allowed players to enter the transfer portal but they'd have to sit out this season and not play until the 2025-26 season. The only player to take that path was Warley.

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After visiting Iowa State and Gonzaga, Warley committed to Mark Few and the Zags on Monday. He has one season of eligibility remaining, so the 2025-26 season will be his final year in basketball.

Warley signed with Florida State in 2021 as a five-star prospect but never developed how they hoped. He was an elite on-ball defender, but the offensive side was inconsistent. His last season in Tallahassee was his best, but even then, he only averaged 7.5 PPG and 2.8 APG.

Gonzaga has had a history of turning around former highly sought-after guards, sending Andrew Nembhard to the NBA a few years ago after he struggled at Florida. With a year off to develop, Warley could be an entirely different player for the Zags in 2025.


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Austin Veazey
AUSTIN VEAZEY

Lead basketball writer; Former FSU Men's Basketball Manager from 2016-2019