A Maryland transfer and an incoming freshman will follow Kevin Willard to Villanova

Villanova picked up its first transfer-portal commitment on Sunday, and while it wasn’t a big splash, it was an informative one.

Maryland transfer Malachi Palmer announced his commitment to the Wildcats on social media.

Palmer, a 6-foot-6, 212-pound forward, played just 8.5 minutes per game during his freshman season at Maryland and averaged 1.6 points and 1.4 rebounds. It’s informative because Palmer’s commitment would seem to make moot the idea that Kevin Willard’s former players were upset by his public exit from the university.

On the same night, Villanova got a commitment from incoming freshman Christian Jeffrey, who was originally going to Maryland before Willard’s departure. Jeffrey, a 6-3 combo guard, announced his commitment on social media. He is the 70th-ranked player in the 2025 class according to 247Sports.

Jeffrey’s commitment means Villanova’s class of 2025 is no longer empty. The Wildcats had one commitment, combo guard Dante Allen, but Allen reopened his recruitment after Villanova fired Kyle Neptune.

Jeffrey and Palmer both attended Mount Zion Prep in Lanham, Md.

Palmer fits into Villanova’s ideal formula of recruiting and filling out a roster in the transfer portal with players who have multiple seasons of eligibility left. Willard stressed the importance of not relying on one-year players during his first session with reporters as Villanova’s coach on Wednesday.

» READ MORE: Villanova legend Kris Jenkins sues the NCAA and some of its member conferences

Palmer is from Harrisburg and started his high school career at Central Dauphin before stints at Hillcrest Prep in Arizona and Mount Zion. He was a three-star prospect according to 247Sports and has some positional versatility given his size and strength.

He’ll likely slot into a reserve wing role. Jeffrey, who is originally from Brooklyn, will compete for playing time right away at one of the guard spots for the Wildcats, who still have a lot of retooling to do when it comes to next season’s roster.

It’s unclear how many spots Willard will need to fill. The new coach said he planned to hold a team meeting upon Villanova’s return from the College Basketball Crown event in Las Vegas and will learn how many players with remaining eligibility plan to stay.

What’s clear is that Villanova will have a new starting five, and there are few options from the remaining player pool on the roster that slot in as obvious starters for next season.