Izan Almansa Receives NCAA Waiver, Plus Eligibility Updates for Other Gonzaga Newcomers

Before the Gonzaga Bulldogs indulge in a couple of exhibition games, the program still doesn't have clarity on the eligibility of all its offseason acquisitions. But they got one step closer on Friday.

Spanish forward Izan Almansa officially received his NCAA waiver, being the last of three international recruits for the Zags to sign their financial aid agreement.

Of the 11 new faces on GU’s roster, three were 5-in-5 players, graduating seniors who returned for a fifth collegiate season after the NCAA introduced a new age-based eligibility model in June. Although those situations are touch-and-go, two of those Zags are currently eligible based on rulings in their respective state lawsuits. For now, all but one Bulldog on the roster is eligible, but as we’ve seen frequently over the offseason, these situations are far from final.

So where do each of their statuses stand with less than two weeks until Gonzaga’s season opener against Purdue?

Izan Almansa: Eligible

Beating the buzzer with less than 24 hours before its exhibition match at Arkansas, Gonzaga announced that Izan Almansa was officially added to the roster on Friday. The 21-year-old Spanish forward joins French guards Juwan Ekanga and Nathan De Sousa as GU's international recruits.

After committing to the program in May, Almansa waited more than five months before he was officially cleared for college basketball. Although he is two years younger than De Sousa, Almansa is much more well-traveled. He has played professionally in Spain, the G League, NBL, and the NBA’s Summer League. Almansa was even in the green room during the 2024 NBA Draft, despite not being selected. Even with his various stops, Almansa will have three years of college eligibility, according to Theo Lawson of The Spokesman-Review.