Report: Villanova to Retain Perkins, Hodge

Villanova Men’s Basketball will return a pair of this year’s starters to their 2026-27 roster, per a report from Jeff Neiburg of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Guard Tyler Perkins and forward Matt Hodge will remain with the Wildcats for a third straight season: they first joined the team under Kyle Neptune, Perkins as a Penn transfer and Hodge as a freshman recruit. Perkins, a senior, earned the Big East’s most improved player award and third team honors after averaging 13.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Hodge tore his ACL on Feb. 28 but averaged 9.2 points and 3.6 rebounds, a 6-foot-8 wing who took nearly two-thirds of his shots from three-point range.

Neiburg also suggested that reserves Malachi Palmer and Chris Jeffrey will return to Villanova, although he added the caveat that “things can change” in a later tweet.

The Wildcats have at least eight spots to fill on their roster heading into next season. They entered 2025 with 14 players and lost four seniors and four transfers: rising redshirt junior Malcolm Flaggs and rising redshirt sophomore Niko Onyekwere have yet to announce their intentions one way or another.