Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs head into the 2026-27 college basketball season with most, but not all, of their outstanding eligibility situations resolved.
And the final piece, at long last, could be getting positive news after making a dramatic change to his legal approach.
Chauncey Wiggins, who has been ineligible since early September when a stay request was granted in the Georgia lawsuit, is now pursuing another avenue toward college basketball eligibility after withdrawing his name from the Godfrey vs. NCAA case on Wednesday.
Chauncey Wiggins pursues new path to eligibility
According to Theo Lawson of the Spokesman-Review, Wiggins is now attempting to join the Wheeler vs. NCAA lawsuit filed in Waco, TX. The plaintiffs in that suit – most notably NC State forward Darrion Williams – have an injunction currently granted through Dec. 14, when arguments are scheduled to be heard.
There is a hearing in Waco at 9:30 AM CT on Thursday, Oct. 29, for Wiggins and other plaintiffs who withdrew in Georgia – including head plaintiff RJ Godfrey – to be included in this injunction.
If the plaintiffs are given inclusion in the lawsuit, they would all immediately gain eligibility for their respective schools through Dec. 14, and potentially longer depending on how those arguments go.
Former Pacific guard Lamar Washington – now at Boise State – is joining Wiggins in withdrawing from Georgia and joining the Waco lawsuit, as well as Godfrey at Arizona, Dallin Hall at Utah State, Cincinnati forward Dan Skillings, and well-travelled guard AJ Storr, now committed to UNLV.
What Wiggins’ potential return would mean for Gonzaga
Wiggins is a 6’10 forward who spent three seasons at Clemson before transferring to Florida State for 2025-26, where he averaged a career-high 13.3 points and 3.9 rebounds in 27.8 minutes, while shooting 61.8% on twos and – crucially – 38.7% from three on 5.8 attempts per game.
His 72 made threes are 24 more than Gonzaga’s leader last year, Mario Saint-Supery, and are second on this year’s roster behind Javon Bennett, who made 90 at Dayton last year on 35% shooting.
Wiggins appeared briefly in the NBA summer league but never signed a contract, basically the same situation as Xaivian Lee, who is eligible through a lawsuit in California.
His role for Gonzaga is expected to be three point specialist off the bench, bringing incredible range to this second unit – especially for someone standing 6’10.
He could play power forward in certain lineups, giving Gonzaga more depth in the frontcourt, but is likely going to get most of his minutes on the wing, backing up Isiah Harwell and Davis Fogle.
Freshmen Luca Foster and Juwan Ekanga are both competing for minutes at the two and three, while Nathan de Sousa and Bennett are hoping to play in two point guard lineups next to Lee. Wiggins gives Gonzaga a real size advantage on the wing, and his three point shooting is far and away the best on the team and a major asset for this roster heading into 2026-27.
The hearing, set for 9:30 AM CT, could give Gonzaga yet another piece of good news in late October, following Bennett’s stay reversal in Ohio from two weeks ago and Izan Almansa getting cleared by the NCAA on Friday, right before the team boarded the flight to Fayetteville to take on Arkansas.
Having every single player eligible for Monday’s season opener against Purdue would feel like nothing short of a miracle for coach Few and the Zags, who have battled with roster uncertainty all offseason long.
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