Villanova Makes Top 5 for Chris Washington Jr.; Announcement Date Set

Villanova Men’s Basketball made the top five for 2026 recruit Chris Washington Jr., a forward listed as tall as 6-foot-10 who’s set to announce his commitment at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 16. 247Sports and CBS Sports will broadcast the ceremony in a live event.

Reports vary on Washington’s height, with some sources saying 6-foot-7 and others saying 6-foot-9. Regardless, he’s a tall, lanky forward with excellent athleticism for his height. ESPN and 247Sports both rank Washington in the top 100 nationally and, while he’ll benefit from adding bulk at the next level, he could develop into an excellent perimeter defender.

Ole Miss, Auburn, Tennessee and Southern California round out Washington’s top five. 247Sports marks his interest in Tennessee as warm: he’s a native of the Volunteer State, which could give them an advantage in his recruiting.  Villanova managed to make a favorable impression on Washington in a relatively short amount of time. They offered him on July 19, 2025, then made his top seven in an announcement two days later. Washington visited campus in September and, after initially committing to Alabama, decided to re-open his recruiting.

He reportedly has a Tennessee visit scheduled for later this week as the Volunteers make a final push to seal the deal. As of the evening of Monday, April 13, the Wildcats have at least eight spots to fill on their roster heading into the 2026-27 season.