Villanova Transfer Portal: Can Wildcats Poach Maryland’s Roster?

With all five starters from the 2024-25 season graduating and redshirt junior Nnanna Njoku departing via the transfer portal, Villanova Men’s Basketball and new head coach Kevin Willard have at least six roster spots to fill ahead of next season. As of right now, the Wildcats don’t have a single commitment for the class of 2025, with Top 50 recruit Dante Allen decommitting following Kyle Neptune’s firing.

One way the Wildcats could replenish their roster is by picking over the Maryland Terrapins, Willard’s former team. In the free for all era of the transfer portal, many players follow departing coaches to their next stop, although Willard’s unceremonious exit could ruffle some feathers. That said, none of the returning Terrapins have made any cryptic social media posts — a key resource in the internet age — about Willard in the hours since official news of his departure broke, so the door appears open for that possibility.

Maryland made the Sweet Sixteen this season and has eight players returning, including a pair of starters and a key bench player. Unfortunately for Villanova, freshman phenom Derik Queen will almost certainly depart for the NBA draft as a projected lottery pick, but here are some players the Wildcats could poach away from the Terrapins.

Targeting the Terrapins

Maryland’s returning starters are junior point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie and sophomore combo guard Rodney Rice. Gillespie, an accomplished two-way player, averaged 14.7 points, 4.8 assists and 1.9 steals per game for the Terrapins during the 2024-25 season, finishing first or second on the team in each of the three categories.

Rice was Maryland’s third leading scorer with 13.8 points per game, nailing 37.4 percent of his 214 three point attempts and adding 2.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

The Terrapins first two players off the bench this season, DeShawn Harris-Smith (sophomore) and Tafara Gapare (junior) also have eligibility remaining. Harris-Smith contributed 2.5 points and 2.4 rebounds in 15.3 minutes per game while Gapare, a forward, dropped 3.4 points and 1.9 rebounds in an average of 10.3 minutes per game.

Other returning Terrapins include 7 foot tall center Braden Pierce and a trio of guards: freshman Malachi Palmer, redshirt sophomore Chance Stephens and sophomore Lukas Sotell.

Villanova has also targeted Delaware guard Izaiah Pasha (making his top ten), North Dakota shooting guard Treysen Eaglestaff (who since committed to South Carolina) and UMass Lowell guard Martin Somerville.