Eagles Legend Jason Kelce to Appear at Villanova Basketball Season Kickoff

Former Wildcats national champions Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart will return to the Finneran Pavilion on Wednesday, Sept. 17 for a live taping of their podcast, the Roommates Show, as they help host Villanova men’s and women’s basketball’s season kickoff event.

They’ll also bring along another Southeastern Pennsylvania legend, as Villanova athletics announced on Monday, Sept. 15 that Super Bowl LII champion and career Eagles center Jason Kelce will appear as Brunson and Hart’s special guest. Kelce, like his co-stars, is no stranger to the world of podcasting: he appears alongside his brother and fellow NFL star Travis on their podcast “New Heights”. As such, the trio should have no problem cracking jokes and entertaining the crowd.

Kelce, an undrafted free agent, played for the Eagles from 2011 to the end of the 2023 season, making a pair of Super Bowl appearances. A six-time AP First-Team All-Pro selection, Kelce is a likely first ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer.

Full of Festivities

The event, scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday, will include formal introductions for the men’s and women’s teams and interviews with their respective head coaches, Kevin Willard and Denise Dillon. Members of the 2016 National Championship team that included Brunson and Hart will also appear in the festivities, along with the three-point and dunk contests that took place during previous season kickoff events.

Per a report from Dylan Johnson of the Villanovan, the kickoff event will replace Hoops Mania, which served a similar purpose in recent seasons and included skills competitions from the student-athletes.

The ticket lottery for students opened at 12 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 2. Admission for students is free via the lottery system; the event will also be open to the public.

Brunson played for Villanova from 2015 to 2018, winning a pair of national championships and the national college player of the year award in 2018; Hart joined the Wildcats in 2013 and graduated in 2017. Roommates during their time together at Villanova, that gave Brunson and Hart the inspiration for their podcast. They currently play together on the New York Knicks along with fellow Wildcats alumnus Mikal Bridges.

Brunson started the 2025 All-Star Game last season, while Hart set a Knicks franchise record for triple-doubles in a  season. They helped the Knicks reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in over a quarter century.