Villanova Men’s Basketball Maintains Focus On 2028 Recruits

Villanova Men’s Basketball head coach Kevin Willard said during a podcast appearance with Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports that he doesn’t plan to recruit any incoming freshmen in the class of 2027: with the NCAA’s new five-in-five model of eligibility, he’d rather retain experienced veterans like Tyler Perkins, Devin Royal and Kwame Evans Jr. for a final season instead of bringing in new recruits.

In line with that scheme, the Wildcats have issued 17 offers to players in the class of 2028. Among them are local standouts like five-star wings Colton Hiller and Mason Collins; four-star combo guard Rowan Phillips is another Philadelphia product, while composite five-stars Blaze Johnson (Dallas) and Michai White (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) come from farther afield.

Four-star Carter Smith, a combo guard who currently attends William Penn Charter and is ranked in the top 70 for his class, is a recent addition to Villanova’s offer list, earning his bid on Oct. 13 per a report from Ari Rosenfeld of Elite High School scouting. Other offers include four-star guards Tai Bell, Kevin Wheatley Jr. and Brady Pettigrew; three-stars Nico Antoniacci and Shane Goines and unranked Brelyn Moses. Antoniacci hails from Northeastern Pennsylvania and earned his offer after a standout performance at Philly Live in June.

Most of the rest of Villanova’s focus is at the three: the Wildcats are looking at five-star Isaiah Hamilton, ranked as high as No. 3 in his class; Billy Stanfield III and Will Brunson are four-stars, while Mazari Browne is a three-star from Maryland. Local kid Logan Chwastyk, a 6-foot-11 center out of nearby Malvern Prep, has rising stock and is listed as a composite five-star at 247Sports.