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Hunter Sallis, a five-star combo guard out of Nebraska, officially committed to the Gonzaga Bulldogs today. He is currently ranked sixth in the country by 247 Sports, making him officially the highest-rated recruit to ever come to Gonzaga, narrowly besting current freshman stud Jalen Suggs.
Breaking: Hunter Sallis, ESPN's No. 13-ranked prospect in the class of 2021, has announced his commitment to Gonzaga, per @PaulBiancardi. @HunterSallis_ | @ZagMBB pic.twitter.com/KXuTF98Va6
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 26, 2021
While Suggs may have been the first step, landing Sallis shows that the Gonzaga Bulldogs are officially in a new realm when it comes to recruiting. Sallis was offered by anybody and everybody, and he chose the Zags over schools such as Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas, Creighton, Iowa State, UCLA, and Oregon.
The Zags are largely the favorites to land the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2021, Chet Holmgren. They already have four-star center Kaden Perry ready to join. That recruiting class doesn’t include current forward Ben Gregg, who graduated early to join the Zags this season.
Brian Snow, a national recruiting analyst for 247 Sports, describes Hallis as a projected first-round pick.
“Sallis is a big guard who can play on or off the ball. He is right around 6-foot-4 with the ability to really make shots, long arms, and is a solid athlete who has gotten better at a rapid rate. With his basketball IQ and passing ability, he serves as someone who can be a lead guard who takes care of the basketball and controls the game as a scorer and a distributor. Once he gains strength and gets more confident in his own ability the sky is the limit for what he can accomplish going forward.”
With Suggs a surefire lottery pick in the 2021 Draft, Corey Kispert graduating, and a definite possibility of Joel Ayayi departing early, there will be plenty of minutes for Sallis to immediately make his impact. The Zags’ backcourt should still have senior Andrew Nembhard at the helm with sophomore Dominick Harris ready to join in on the fun.
It is quite the time to be a Gonzaga fan. The Zags are the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and legitimately eyeing a championship title. Even with what the Zags are expected to lose after this season, presuming Holmgren joins as well, the Zags will be bringing in one of their most hyped recruiting classes in school history.