Braeden Smith Commits to Notre Dame; Irish Land Likely Starting PG
- Brenden Duffy
- 17 hours ago
- 3 min read
Notre Dame landed their third transfer of the cycle on Sunday evening with the commitment of Braeden Smith.
Photo via Braeden Smith, IG (@braedennsmithh)
The 6-0, 170-pound Guard enters South Bend with one year of eligibility remaining. Smith was on campus this past weekend for an official visit before announcing his transfer decision, according to ON3’s Jamie Shaw. The redshirt junior reportedly chose the Irish following previous visits to Washington and Utah. Head Coach Micah Shrewsberry has his potential starting ball-handler via the portal, where Smith ranked as the #53 transfer PG, according to 247 Sports.
Coming out of Seattle Prep in Washington, Smith was an elite athlete who set the program’s assists and steals records while also being an all-league QB on the gridiron. As an under-recruited three-star prospect out of high school, Smith committed to Colgate to pursue basketball.
Smith lit it up at Colgate right away, starting all 35 games his freshman season. Across 31.6 minutes per game, the PG averaged 11.6 points (48% FG% & 36% 3FG%), 4.4 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per contest. Smith was named to the Patriot League All-Rookie Team after setting a Colgate record for assists by a freshman (155) and helping the Raiders to a conference championship and NCAA Tournament appearance.
Smith improved on his freshman campaign by becoming the first sophomore to win Patriot League Player of the Year since 2014-15. While starting all 35 games played (30.3 mpg), the Colgate PG averaged 12.5 points, 5.6 assists (top-25 nationally), 5.5 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per contest. Smith was later named Patriot League Tournament MVP after posting averages of 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists while leading the Raiders to another conference title and NCAA Tournament appearance. Following this decorated season, Smith would enter the transfer portal as a low-risk, high-reward option for top programs nationally. Â
Smith took an interesting approach out of the portal when he committed to Gonzaga. Head Coach Mark Few had convinced Smith to take a redshirt season to learn and develop under Gonzaga’s complicated playstyle. The idea was meant to preserve Smith’s eligibility so that he could take full advantage of being Gonzaga's starting PG for the following two seasons.
Few and Smith’s vision seemingly did not go perfectly to plan. The Seattle native started 18 of 35 games played, averaging 17.1 minutes per game, as Gonzaga never seemed to find consistent PG play this season. Smith averaged 5.1 points (47% FG%), 3.6 assists, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game before entering the portal once again.
I would expect Smith to be Notre Dame’s starting PG when the 2026-27 season tips off in Rome unless incoming freshman Jonathan Sanderson really impresses throughout summer and training camp. Two big intangibles that come with Smith are his winning mindset and good health. Across three seasons of college basketball, Smith’s teams have posted an overall 82-23 record with three conference titles and NCAA Tournament appearances. Meanwhile, he has yet to miss a game in his college career.Â
On the court, Smith looks to be a solid scorer who can produce inside and is also a career 33% shooter from deep. The true PG also brings great vision to the offense, something that the Irish may have been lacking with Markus Burton’s aggressive scoring playstyle. Smith is a good rebounder for his size and a very good defender, a common theme among Gonzaga players. Smith’s quick and physical play should fit in Coach Shrewsberry’s system nicely.
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