Transfer portal: Villanova nabs two commitments with more on the way; where does St. Joe’s turn next?

(UPDATE: Grand Canyon’s Duke Brennan committed to Villanova Thursday night, giving the Wildcats three commitments on the day. Read about Villanova’s busy Thursday here. The original story continues below.)

Villanova picked up two more transfer portal commitments Thursday, bringing its total for this week alone up to three, and more help could be on the way as Kevin Willard’s first roster takes shape.

James Madison transfer Bryce Lindsay, the Sun Belt’s freshman and sixth man of the year, committed to Villanova late Thursday afternoon. His commitment was preceded by Maryland big man Braden Pierce announcing earlier in the day that he would follow Willard to Villanova.

Lindsay, a 6-foot-3 Baltimore native, began his college career at Texas A&M. At JMU, he scored 13.4 points per game and connected on 40.8% of his three-point attempts (nearly seven attempts per game) as a redshirt freshman.

Pierce, meanwhile, appeared in just five games off the bench as a redshirt freshman this past season at Maryland before suffering a season-ending eye injury. The 7-footer has at least three seasons of eligibility left and could have a fourth if he is granted a medical redshirt for this past season.

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The duo became the third and fourth portal commitments this cycle for the Wildcats, joining Maryland teammate Malachi Palmer, a backup wing, and Temple transfer Zion Stanford, who is in the mix for a starting spot but also could play the role of sixth man.

All four commitments so far fit into Villanova’s desired path of pursuing players with multiple seasons of eligibility remaining. But the Wildcats still have holes to fill. Pierce, who figures to be a backup center, is the lone true big man on Villanova’s current roster, and more frontcourt help could be on the way.

Villanova is a front-runner for Grand Canyon transfer Duke Brennan, a 6-foot-10 forward who posted averages of 10.4 points and 9.2 rebounds for a team that reached the NCAA Tournament. Brennan’s game is almost exclusively inside. He has taken just three three-pointers in three college basketball seasons. An Arizona native, he played his freshman year at Arizona State before transferring to Grand Canyon for two years.

Villanova also is in the mix for Robert Morris transfer Alvaro Folgueiras, a 6-foot-9 forward with two years left who scored 14.1 points and grabbed 9.1 rebounds per game last season. Folgueiras, a native of Spain, is versatile, can shoot three-pointers, and is an above-average passer for his position. Villanova’s frontcourt also will get help from redshirt freshman Matthew Hodge, who was deemed academically ineligible this past season because of transcript issues from his time as a high schooler in Belgium.

Maryland wing Tafara Gapare, a rising senior, also recently visited Villanova’s campus.

As for the backcourt, Lindsay’s addition fills an obvious need for a scoring guard. But Villanova still has no real point guard with experience. If the season started today, Stanford, Lindsay, returning guard Tyler Perkins, and freshman Chris Jeffrey would be at the top of the depth chart at guard, with Palmer also in the mix.

That’s no way to enter a basketball season in the Big East, and Villanova will be adding more help at guard. The Wildcats are among the favorites to land Maryland transfer Rodney Rice, who scored nearly 14 points per game this past season, and have been in contact with incoming freshman point guard Acaden Lewis, a D.C. native who initially was committed to Kentucky.

The transfer portal doesn’t close until Tuesday, but commitments and signings will carry on well after that.

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The biggest move of the Big 5 portal season hit earlier this week, when St. Joseph’s point guard Xzayvier Brown, a first-team all-conference selection, entered the portal and will reportedly be going to Oklahoma along with his stepfather Justin Scott, who was the associate coach at St. Joe’s.

It was a big blow for the Hawks, but a catastrophic one as far as their chances to compete in the Atlantic 10 in 2025-26? Maybe not.

Brown, so far, is the only returning rotation player in the portal. Shawn Simmons II also entered, but he played just 6.1 minutes per game and likely will be dropping down a level. The Hawks, as it stands, will get back Derek Simpson, Anthony Finkley, and Dasear Haskins, and big man Justice Ajogbor could get a waiver for another season. They have other underclassmen ready to see more time, too, like center Steven Solano and guards Mekai Johnson and Khaafiq Myers.

Still, St. Joe’s is going shopping in the portal and will need to add more talent, especially at guard. The Hawks are in the hunt for La Salle transfer Deuce Jones, the A-10’s top freshman, and have been in contact with St. John’s transfer Jaiden Glover, as well as Lafayette sharpshooter Alex Chaikin.

An interesting name to watch that entered the portal Thursday: Rahsool Diggins. The former Archbishop Wood star would need a waiver for a fifth year, but he scored nearly 17 points per game at Massachusetts this past season.

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Make it all four Drexel top scorers in the transfer portal after Jason “Deuce” Drake entered the portal earlier this week.

Drake was a junior college transfer this past season and posted 11.1 points, 3.1 assists, and 3.0 rebounds per game in his second Division I season — he started his college career at Cleveland State — while shooting nearly 40% from deep.

Drake reportedly is receiving interest from several teams, including St. Joe’s and Temple.

Drexel has already lost Kobe MaGee (Florida State), Yame Butler (Butler), and Cole Hargrove (Providence) to the portal. Drake’s entry means the Dragons will be replacing 69% of their scoring from this past season.

It’s déjà vu for coach Zach Spiker, who lost his top returning players last offseason, too.