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A successful first offseason in the post-Niko Medved era is in the books.
CSU men’s basketball head coach Ali Farokhmanesh has always played a large role in the recruiting process for the team during his time on staff since 2018.
In his first offseason as head coach, however, he may have put together his best recruiting class yet.
CSU has now landed three commitments from current members of the 2026 high school basketball class that are all are ranked as three-star recruits, according to 247Sports.
Here’s a look at the commits and how they shape one of CSU’s top recruiting classes ever.
Gregory “Pops” Dunson
CSU landed its top-rated recruit in program history, per 247Sports Composite, in Gregory “Pops” Dunson.
Dunson is a 6-foot guard from Douglasville, Georgia, and plays for Alexander High School. He is ranked No. 13 in the state of Georgia’s class of 2026, a high ranking in a state that has produced loads of basketball talent and still has loads of talent today.
Just under a week after his official visit, Dunson announced his commitment to the Rams via X Sept. 7.
Dunson has a 247Sports composite score of 0.9253, which is the all-time highest score of a CSU commit and makes him the highest rated recruit the Rams have landed, marking an outstanding beginning to a new era of CSU basketball.
The three-star recruit averaged 18 points and 4.9 assists per game last season as a junior, while shooting 45% from the field and 43% from three.
It was in the Georgia state tournament, however, where Dunson truly shined as a top player in the state, averaging 31.3 points and six assists per game and leading his team to the Elite Eight.
As an undersized guard, Dunson uses his high-tier playmaking skills to create for both himself and others. He is an elite shooter both off the dribble and off the catch, is able to drive to the rim using his quick speed and finish over taller defenders, while also using his ball-handling abilities to create separation and find open teammates.
Dunson chose the Rams over plenty of other reported offers, including Auburn, Tulsa, Duquesne and Tulane.
Eric Fiedler
The first commit landed of the offseason is Eric Fiedler, a top in-state player in the 2026 class.
Fiedler, a 6-foot-6 forward from Regis Jesuit in Colorado, announced his commitment to the Rams July 27, being the first player to do so and the first commitment for Farokhmanesh as head coach.
Per 247Sports, Fiedler is the No. 2 ranked player in Colorado for the 2026 class, and his commitment to CSU hints toward a newfound success of landing commitments from top home state players for Farokhmanesh and his staff.
Going into his senior year, Fiedler has been dominant as a three-year varsity starter for Regis Jesuit, with career averages of 15.9 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting 48% from the field.
In his junior season, Fiedler averaged 24.1 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, while working on his range shooting the three at a 35% clip. His standout season earned him a Class 6A First Team All-State selection.
Fiedler has an explosive play style in which he can take over a game as a scoring machine when the lights get bright, whether that be through bruising his way into the paint, attacking mismatches in the post or finding his own looks playing off the pick-and-roll as the screener.
Fiedler chose the Rams over offers from six other teams, including Colorado and New Mexico.
Jaden Ghoreishi
A big man is on his way to Moby Arena, as the most recent commitment for Farokhmanesh comes from 6-foot-9, 215-pound center Jaden Ghoreishi.
Ghoreishi plays for Mt. Spokane High School in Spokane, Washington, and is rated as a three-star recruit by 247Sports. Alongside his three-star player rating, Ghoreishi is the No. 3 ranked player in Washington in the 2026 class.
Ghoreishi announced his commitment Sept. 9, just two days after Dunson.
In his junior season, Ghoreishi showed his big-man skillset, as he averaged 8.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. While playing as a center, Ghoreishi still stretched the floor last season, as he shot 39.2% from three.
Ghoreishi is listed as a center via 247Sports but is a versatile player who can play on the wing or in the paint. He is both a great rebounder and an excellent finisher at the rim, while also flashing high upside as a floor spacer who passes well and gets to the rim as a super skilled wing player.
Ghoreishi received offers from Saint Mary’s, Santa Clara, Washington State and others, but ultimately decided on the Rams to close out a recruiting class full of three-stars.
Takeaways
In the past, CSU has not had much success with landing top players from either in-state or in states on the West Coast, such as Fiedler and Ghoreishi. And the team has not been outstanding at landing highly rated players from outside their region, such as Dunson from Georgia.
But what the Rams have been able to do as of recently is find players who they trust in their system, convince them of a large role, earn trust from the player themself and sway them from other schools to commit to CSU.
And they have the proof to back up this system; David Roddy and Isaiah Stevens were both three-star recruits out of high school as well, and both stuck with CSU throughout their entire collegiate careers, received full development and turned into NBA talent.
Now, as seen with one of CSU’s best recruit classes in program history with the class of 2026, high school players are recognizing this development plan. This is all possible through well-built trust among the team and the players, which is established through team culture.
It is likely that these three recruits all will end up in large roles on the team as they improve through the years — and if they choose to stay — and Farokhmanesh has an opportunity now to show that, as head coach, he can continue the current trend of turning trusted three-star recruits into top-end talent.
Fiedler, Dunson and Ghoreishi are set to officially sign with the team during the early signing period in November, and will then join the team in the summer in preparation for the 2026-27 season.
Reach Devin Imsirpasic at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter at @DImsirpasic.