Villanova Guard Tyler Perkins to Remain With Wildcats

Villanova rising junior Tyler Perkins will return to the Wildcats for the 2025-26 season, per a report from Jeff Neiburg of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

That this is even a headline is a testament to the turbulent state of college athletics in the Year of our Lord 2025. Perkins, a 6-foot-4, 212 pound guard with two seasons of eligibility remaining, put up 6.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.0 assists in an average of 25.8 minutes per game with the Wildcats last season, serving as their sixth man. He helped Villanova survive a second half swoon on the way to a home win over No. 9 St. John’s back in February, nailing a go-ahead three with 8.7 seconds to play.

Perkins spent his true freshman campaign at Penn, showing his scoring talent and averaging 13.7 points per game. After entering the transfer portal last season, Perkins decided to stay in the Big 5, choosing the Wildcats.

Perkins’ return means the Wildcats have five spots to fill on their roster ahead of the 2025-26 season. All of their players from last season are accounted for, one way or another, and Perkins is the only one to have logged anything approaching significant minutes for Villanova.

The other three returning athletes include former walk-ons Wade Chiddick and Collin O’Toole (a senior who should have at least one year of eligibility remaining based on games and years played), along with redshirt freshman Matthew Hodge, who had to sit out his entire true freshman campaign as a result of an academic eligibility issue after his high school classes taken in Belgium didn’t count as credits here in the United States.