Will Wade and LSU have landed another major piece for the 2026-27 season.
UCLA transfer point guard Donovan Dent has committed to LSU, he told Joe Tipton of On3 on Friday evening, giving the Tigers a veteran playmaker who was the Mountain West Player of the Year at New Mexico before spending last season with the Bruins.
Dent's path to Baton Rouge opened after a Louisiana judge granted a temporary restraining order allowing members of the 2022 high school recruiting class who had exhausted their eligibility an opportunity to return for the 2026-27 season.
The ruling opened the door for Dent to play a fifth college season, and Wade moved quickly to add one of the most accomplished guards available.
The 6-foot-2 Dent spent his first three seasons at New Mexico, developing into one of the top point guards in college basketball.
His breakout came during the 2024-25 season when Dent averaged 20.4 points and 6.4 assists per game while shooting 49 percent from the field. He was named Mountain West Player of the Year, earned first-team All-Mountain West honors and received honorable mention All-America recognition from the Associated Press and USBWA.
Dent was the only player in the country that season to average at least 20 points and six assists per game.
He transferred to UCLA for the 2025-26 season and became more of a distributor for the Bruins, averaging 13.3 points, 7.6 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game while starting 34 games.
Dent finished the season with 265 assists, the second-highest single-season total in UCLA history, trailing only Lonzo Ball.
He ranked among the nation's leaders in assists and assist-to-turnover ratio and recorded double-digit assists 11 times, including a pair of 15-assist performances.
Dent's scoring efficiency dipped during his season at UCLA, including 25.4 percent shooting from 3-point range, but his ability to handle the basketball, penetrate and create scoring opportunities for teammates remained one of his biggest strengths.
Wade will now have an opportunity to pair the scoring ability Dent displayed at New Mexico with the high-level playmaking he showed at UCLA.
Dent also brings considerable experience to Baton Rouge. He has appeared in 139 college games during his stops at New Mexico and UCLA and has played in multiple NCAA Tournaments.
There will also be a familiar face waiting for him at LSU.
Dent will reunite with former UCLA teammate Skyy Clark, who also transferred to LSU this offseason. Their experience playing together gives Wade two veteran guards who already have familiarity with each other's games.
Dent's addition is the latest significant development for an LSU roster that could still receive another major boost.
The Tigers are awaiting Monday's preliminary injunction hearing involving guard RJ Luis, the former Big East Player of the Year who is seeking clearance to play another college season.
If Luis receives eligibility, Wade could have one of the most experienced and accomplished collections of guards on LSU's roster in recent years.
Regardless of what happens with Luis, Dent gives LSU an experienced point guard with a proven ability to score, distribute and run an offense.
And with the 2026-27 season approaching, Wade's first LSU roster just added another major piece.
