Of all the portal pieces Coach Alexander brought in this season, Gilhool may be the most intriguing in terms of upside. The former 4-star recruit from the 2024 class faced a major health scare as a high school senior, the ramifications of which carried over into his freshman season at LSU.

From all accounts, he’s healthy and ready to show everyone why he was considered one of the highest-skilled, best-shooting big men in his class.

Matt Gilhool

Bio

Position: Forward / Center

Height: 6’11’

Weight: 215

Hometown: Elizabethtown, PA

Recruiting Class: 2025

Eligibility: Redshirt Freshman (4 seasons remaining)

Former Team: LSU

High School Rankings: 4*(92) – National Rank: 90 – Power Forward Rank: 18

Transfer Portal Rankings: NR

High School Career

Gilhool was considered one of the top 100 recruits in the 2025 recruiting class and was a consensus 4* prospect across all of the major evaluation sites. As a senior, he averaged 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks a game. He was named to the Pennsylvania All-State team three times (Soph-Senior) and helped William Penn Charter win two Inter-Academic League Championships (I have no idea what that means; Pennsylvania’s high school system is beyond my comprehension).

He began suffering from a heat issue as a high school senior in 2024 (read all about it here) and underwent several medical procedures between the end of his high school season and the beginning of his freshman season at LSU.

His final six schools, not including LSU, were Iowa, Georgia Tech, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Utah, and Alabama.

High School / AAU Highlights

College Career

2025- ‘26 Season – LSU

Redshirt

Gilhool’s heart issue, medical procedures, and recovery informed his decision to redshirt in 2024. He spent the season regaining weight and rebuilding his conditioning.

2026-’27 Season Outlook

Reserve Forward

Thoughts

I’ll start with the thoughts of On3’s LSU writer, Matthew Brune:

Gilhool is an exciting 6-foot-11 prospect who has been thrown into the fire the past couple of months at LSU, going against several veterans on a daily basis. I’ve talked before how much I appreciate the new size and depth in the frontcourt and Gilhool got straight to work, battling against Rob Miller, Mike Nwoko, and Marquel Sutton, (Jalen Reed rehabbing still).

His shooting is a real separator skill and his feel for the game is instrumental in what made him a top 75 recruit. He’s already bulked up some, getting to 218 pounds and the work ethic has kept him on an incline throughout the offseason with his development. It will take some time for the physicality to get where it needs to be, but similar to Mosley, the skill is on the level of a high-major player right away.

I wasn’t aware of Gilhool’s heart issue when I put this profile out this summer. First and foremost, it sounds like the heart issue has been resolved. That’s the most important part of this story.

It also makes me even more intrigued by his upside. I couldn’t understand why a highly rated recruit like Gilhool redshirted on a 15-17 LSU team that wasn’t exactly dripping with talent. I assumed it was because he was rail-thin, and in a way, it was, but only because he’d been dealing with something far more important than basketball instead of preparing for his freshman season at LSU.

As far as I’m concerned, this is no different from Coach Alexander landing a 4-star, top 100 player straight out of high school. It’s not like Gilhool is responsible for getting knocked out by a serious medical issue. He spent a season at LSU regaining his health, and now Kansas State is getting a highly skilled big man with 4 years of eligibility.

My guess is that he starts the season as a reserve at both forward and center. Whichever spot he plays, he’ll need a more physical big to pair with him. He’s a 6’11” floor-stretching lefty with an advanced skill set and range on his jump shot, but it might take him some time to hold his own down low on defense and on the boards. Kansas State has a couple of other more experienced pieces at forward and center, but for my money, Gilhool has the highest upside on the roster.

I expect him to be part of the rotation this season as he adjusts to the college game and shakes off some rust, but in theory, he’s a key building block for Coach Alexander’s program moving forward.