D2 · Sunshine State Conference

Saint Leo Men’s Basketball Recruiting: Roster & Openings

Division 2 · Sunshine State Conference · Saint Leo, FL

Saint Leo (D2, Sunshine State Conference) lists 15 players on the 2026–27 roster; 8 are new this season.

Roster data through 2026–27

Roster15 players
New this season8
Transfer additions6
Clearest projected openingGuards · 2027
Most common home stateFL (5)

Where the door opens

our roster projection · your arrival year

Guards: open from 2027 — 9 ahead.

Forwards: blocked until 2028.

2026
Gcrowded13 ahead
Fbalanced3 ahead
2027
Gopening9 ahead
Fblocked5 ahead
2028
Gopening3 ahead · multi-yr
Fopening4 ahead
2029
Gopen3 ahead
Fopening1 ahead · multi-yr
2030
Gopen0 ahead
Fopen1 ahead

Projections for 2029, 2030 are low-confidence reads.

Guards in that room (9)
Jordan Ruggirello6′0″Sr
Cooper Frith5′11″Sr
Luther Smith Jr.6′1″Sr
Jayden Johnson6′1″Sr
Manny Castro6′3″So
Elijah Harris6′3″Sr
Zyair Greene6′3″Grad
Gabe Santos - Burgos5′11″So
Jeremiah McNeely6′5″So
Forwards in that room (5)
Blaise Vespe6′7″RS-Sr
Bautista Giralt7′0″Jr
Tre McKinnon6′5″RS-Fr
Jaylan McElroy6′7″Jr
Jamarcus Brown6′6″Jr
Those openings are for the roster in general. See whether your position, size and profile fit them →

If you want to play at Saint Leo

How to get recruited here

For 2026 arrivals the roster projection reads: G crowded (13 ahead), F balanced (3 ahead).

Of the latest cycle's 8 arrivals, 2 came straight from high school and 6 from the transfer portal.

Most arrivals come from FL, IL, WI.

1 of 15 recent arrivals held a national ranking — 1 of 15 appear in our cross-checked rankings ledger; players absent from the ledger are not necessarily unranked.

25% of last season's scoring returns.

The roster, as a depth chart

2026–27 · 15 players

Guards 9 of 15

Jeremiah McNeely6′5″So
Manny Castro6′3″So
Elijah Harris6′3″Sr · final yr3.2 PPG
Zyair Greene6′3″Grad · final yr
Luther Smith Jr.6′1″Sr · final yr12.8 PPG
Jayden Johnson6′1″Sr · final yr4.2 PPG
Jordan Ruggirello6′0″Sr · final yr4.4 PPG
Cooper Frith5′11″Sr · final yr
Gabe Santos - Burgos5′11″So

Frontcourt 5 of 15 · forwards + centers

Bautista Giralt7′0″Jr · F
Blaise Vespe6′7″RS-Sr · F · final yr
Jaylan McElroy6′7″Jr · F
Jamarcus Brown6′6″Jr · F
Tre McKinnon6′5″RS-Fr · F
1 without a listed position:Ethan Bevis 6′6″ · Fr
freshman final year — spot opens returning

Returning production

25%of recorded scoring returns
1 of 5top scorers returning
Top returning scorers
Luther Smith Jr.12.8 PPG in 2025–26 · returning
Jordan Ruggirello4.4 PPG in 2025–26 · returning
Jayden Johnson4.2 PPG in 2025–26 · returning

Computed from 13 of 16 players on the 2025–26 roster with recorded stats; "returning" means listed on the 2026–27 roster.

Who actually gets onto this roster?

How players arrive

2from high school6via the portal

9 of 15 roster spots were filled out of high school or held over.

Rankings

1 of 15

1 of 15 appear in our cross-checked rankings ledger; players absent from the ledger are not necessarily unranked.

Best-ranked: Tre McKinnon #478.

Where from

FL 5 · IL 3 · WI 2 · AL 1 · GA 1 · ID 1

4 international: Buenos Aires; Maastricht; Montreal; San Juan, PR

High schools: Lake Park; Kimberly; Saint John Paul II and 2 more

Transfer flow

named arrivals and departures

2025–26 → 2026–27 · in

→Blaise Vespe
→Bautista Giralt
→Cooper Frith
→Zyair Greene
→Jamarcus Brown
→Jeremiah McNeely

2025–26 → 2026–27 · out

←Nick Ghetie
←Paul Lanzi
←Dominic Commisso
←Camden Cerese
←Aeris Lawson

How this roster compares

Sunshine State Conference (11 programs, 2025–26 medians)
MeasureSaint LeoConference
Average guard height6′2″6′2″
Average frontcourt height6′7″6′8″−1″
Roster size1516−1
Freshman share13%24%−11pp

Coaching staff

Andrew HedmanAssistant coach
Spencer HenkeHead coach
Drew HedmanAssistant coach
Elijah RickettsAssistant coach
Jordan GillAssistant coach
Staff changes5 on-court staff changes in 4 offseasons — 2 before 2024–25, 1 before 2025–26, 2 before 2026–27.

Academics

published admissions data
Acceptance rate78%
SAT midpoint1040
ACT midpoint22

How this page is made: Rosters: official Saint Leo rosters, 2025–26 and 2026–27, read from the athletic department's own site · Season: Saint Leo's 2026–27 roster is posted, so this page reads it; the conference comparison uses 2025–26, the newest season every program has on file. · Stats: 2025–26, the last season played — the 2026–27 season has no games yet. · New this season: players not listed on the 2025–26 roster; a newcomer who is not a freshman counts as a transfer addition · Openings: Depth Chart's roster projection from listed class years; confidence stated per year · Sample: among players who made a college roster — the data cannot see who didn't. Among players who made a college roster. Model judgments describe positions and cohorts, never a named player's future. Refreshed automatically when the rosters change. Corrections: research@mydepthchart.com.

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