SPOKANE, Wash. — Former Gonzaga forward/guard Michael Ajayi has selected his next school following his entry into the NCAA transfer portal about 11 days ago.
Ajayi will transition from the Gonzaga Bulldogs to the Butler Bulldogs for his final year of college eligibility, as reported by ESPN and CAA Basketball’s NIL division.
A native of Kent, Washington, Ajayi spent just one season at Gonzaga, where he was the team’s seventh-leading scorer with averages of 6.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game. The 6-foot-7, 228-pound player shot 18.2% from three-point range and 44.6% overall. He participated in 34 games, starting 13 of them and averaging 18.9 minutes per game. During his time in Spokane, Ajayi tallied a total of 221 points, 184 rebounds, and 27 assists.
Ajayi previously transferred from Pepperdine to Gonzaga during the Bulldogs’ Sweet 16 campaign in the 2023-24 season. After spending one season at Pepperdine, he arrived at GU with high expectations, having earned first-team All-WCC honors and led the Waves in scoring at 17.2 points per game, rebounds at 9.9, steals at 0.9, and blocks at 0.5, while shooting 47% from beyond the arc and 46.7% overall.
Before his time at Pepperdine, Ajayi played for Pierce College in the Northwest Athletic Conference, where he was named the 2022 Northwest Athletic Conference West Region Most Valuable Player and the West Region Freshman of the Year.
Ajayi received an extra year of eligibility due to a new NCAA rule allowing junior college transfers to compete for an additional season.
He will now join the Butler Bulldogs in the Big East Conference. Last season, Butler had a record of 15-20 overall and 6-14 in conference play, exiting the Big East Tournament in the quarterfinals after a 78-57 loss to St. John’s. The Bulldogs missed the NCAA Tournament but participated in the inaugural College Basketball Crown, where they defeated Utah in the round of 16 before losing to Boise State 100-93 in the quarterfinals.
Last offseason, Ajayi was ranked No. 75 in ESPN’s top 100 players available for the NBA Draft, just 17 spots behind the final pick, but he opted to return for another season of college basketball. Now, he aims to improve his draft stock with this fifth year of eligibility.
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