Villanova Transfers: Multi-Year Commits Worth Another Shot

From the day he arrived on campus, Villanova head coach Kevin Willard emphasized constructing his 2025-26 roster with an eye to the future. Of the 14 players who began the season with the Wildcats, all but four held at least one season of eligibility beyond that season: eight of them had used just one year of eligibility to date.

With the transfer portal now open and only two players guaranteed to return — Malachi Palmer and Chris Jeffrey haven’t announced their intentions one way or another — it appears that Willard’s strategy didn’t pan out. Tyler Perkins and Matt Hodge, the two players certain to return, are valuable building blocks. Perkins won the Big East’s Most Improved Player award and Third Team honors, while Hodge stands 6-foot-8 and can stretch the floor with his three-point shooting. However, losing star freshman Acaden Lewis and developing sharpshooter Bryce Lindsay hurts Villanova about as much as those retentions help… doubly so if the Wildcats have to do it all again next year with another batch of transient players.

In the free-wheeling transfer portal era, Willard wanted to see if he could build a sustainable culture, placing his trust in young players and securing their commitment for future seasons instead of relying on the experience of one-and-done seniors and graduate students. While that gamble didn’t play off, it’s worth trying again.

Per Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, each team in the Final Four — Michigan, UConn, Arizona and Illinois — this past season retained at least four key players from the previous year’s roster, a testament to the value of continuity… and something Villanova should keep in mind as they look for their first transfer.