Villanova basketball recruiting update for 2023 and 2024

Jan 25, 2023 - 10:30 AM

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Following up on Eugene’s detailed report from the summer – we’d like to provide a pulse check on some of the existing recruits Villanova is pursuing, as well as seeing who has emerged in the last few months. With ‘Nova not even listed in the top 150 for Class of 2023 rankings — No. 172 according to On3.com — it’s time to take a quick look at the recruiting trail during this long layoff in-between games.

Two quick points I always remind myself when looking at recruiting rankings:

1) Success comes in all stars and sizes. Collin Gillespie and Saddiq Bey were both 3-star recruits and now collect NBA checks.

2) Player development is not linear and as a result, recruiting rankings are a fluid exercise. There is no exact science and players can have volatile moves up or down. For instance, 247 Sports had Cam Whitmore ranked as the 111^th ranked recruit in June 2021. Within six months, he rose to 20^th and ended his high school career at 13^th in their rankings.

Finally - information about offers, visits, etc. may not always be accurate depending on the source. For the information below, I’ve done my best to check national recruiting websites (247 Sports, On3, Rivals) along with social media of players and media members. Anything that didn’t have multiple sources confirming an offer or a visit are called out. If anyone has other information regarding these players, please let me know and I can update my notes.

Feel free to sit back and grab a drink because there’s a lot to review.

Class of 2023

Jordann Dumont

Rating: 3-star (247 Sports: NR | on3: NR)
Hometown: Montreal, Canada
High School: Hamilton Heights Christian Academy (Tenn.)
Height: 6-8
Weight: 190
Commit date: Nov. 15

The skinny:

[Summer Update] N/A. Dumont seemingly came out of nowhere from a recruiting standpoint and then within a two-week span he received an offer, visited campus, and committed.

[January Update] On3 ranks Dumont as a 3-star recruit who has grew up and played in Canada, which is part of the reason he wasn’t on many fans’ radars. He has transferred to Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Tennessee and will be competing in the states for his senior year. Since his commitment, he has set a school record with a 40-point game in December, surpassing current NBA player Nickeil Alexander-Walker. An extremely underrated player, he is expected to jump in the recruiting rankings as the season progresses. Dumont is averaging 23.5 points, 9.5 rebounds along with 38% from three and most recently has been nominated for McDonald’s All American selection.

Kris Parker

Rating: 4-star (247 Sports: 91 | on3: 65)
Hometown: Tallahassee, Fla.
High School: Crossroad Academy
AAU: Team Breakdown
Height: 6-8
Weight: 185
Offer date: Nov. 13
Status: Offered and visited
Other offers: Alabama, Chicago State, DePaul, Detroit Mercy, Florida, Florida A&M, Florida State, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas State, Louisiana-Monroe, LSU, Missouri, N.C. State, Ole Miss, Robert Morris, Samford, St. John’s, UCF, Virginia Tech

The skinny:

[Summer Update] N/A. Another newer development for the 2023 recruiting class, Parker’s Villanova interest emerged on Halloween after sharing a tweet of Coach Dwayne Anderson paying him a visit.

[January Update] Parker took an official visit to Villanova from November 11-13. He was there the same weekend as Jordann Dumont, and both attended the Temple matchup. He was scheduled to make a commitment in December but has postponed the announcement. This is Villanova’s only outstanding 2023 offer at the moment and would serve as a great pickup for Coach Kyle Neptune and staff. Parker has also recently earned a nomination for McDonald’s All American selection.

Class of 2024

Isaiah Abraham

Rating: 4-star (247 Sports: 73 |On3: 24)
Hometown: Warrenton, Va.
High School: Paul VI Catholic
AAU: Team Takeover
Height: 6-6
Weight: 180
Offer date: August 2
Status: Offered
Other offers: Arizona State, Bethune-Cookman, Bowie State, UConn, George Mason, Georgetown, Howard, Kansas State, Marquette, Maryland, Murray State, North Texas, Pitt, Radford, Seton Hall, Tennessee, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wichita State

The skinny:

[Summer Update] Obviously, ‘Nova loves recruiting the DMV, so lots of ties here. Abraham resides in the same town that Angelo Brizzi and attended the same high school, but he will now be transferring to Paul VI Catholic, which is where Brandon Slater went to, and plays for the AAU program that has been the home of many Villanova recruiting targets. The most recent ‘Cats to suit up for Team Takeover? Slater and Justin Moore, who were teammates together. Abraham averaged 14.3 points and 4.2 rebounds as a sophomore. His recruitment started to pick up over the summer, as he started to gain numerous high-major offers. Abraham was also a first-team all-state selection. There’s a lot to like about his game, from his physical build as a guard/wing, to his athleticism, motor and shooting ability.

[January Update] Abraham has picked up offers from Tennessee and Arizona State since receiving his Villanova offer. He gave a brief update on his recruitment last month – saying that things will pick up once the high school season ends. Villanova was one school that was mentioned as “working on planning a visit.” One school to really watch out here is Marquette, as his father, Faisal Abraham, played basketball there.

Marcus Allen

Rating: 4-star (247 Sports: 52 |On3: 21)
Hometown: Miami, Fla.
High School: Compass Prep
AAU: Florida Rebels
Height: 6-6
Weight: 190
Offer date: Sept. 14
Status: Offered
Other offers: Arizona State, Arkansas, FGCU, Florida State (Unofficial visit), Miami (Official visit), Michigan, Missouri (Official visit), Oregon, Ohio State, South Carolina, Stanford, UCF (Unofficial visit)

The skinny:

[Summer Update] N/A. Allen is yet another prospect that was offered in the early fall.

[January Update] Marcus Allen has been a fast riser in the recruiting rankings, and Villanova jumped on this past fall. Another wing on Kyle Neptune’s radar, he transferred to Compass Prep in Arizona this past season. Allen has already taken official visits to Miami and Missouri, along with unofficial visits to Florida State and UCF. He told On3 back in December that he was in talks with Villanova to schedule a possible visit. In On3’s most recent rankings, Allen had one of the largest jumps of 2024 prospects going from No. 43 to No. 21 in their national rankings and is quickly becoming one of Villanova’s highest rated prospects.

Jalil Bethea

Rating: 4-star (247 Sports: 80| On3: 72)
Hometown: Warminster, Pa.
High School: Archbishop Wood
AAU: Team Final
Height: 6-4
Weight: 170
Offer date: July 25
Status: Offered
Other offers: Albany, Bryant, Fairfield, Jacksonville, Maryland, Miami, Mississippi State, Mount St. Mary’s, Notre Dame, Penn State (Unofficial visit), Pitt, Radford, Robert Morris, Rutgers (Unofficial visit), Saint Joseph’s, St. John’s Seton Hall, Syracuse (Official visit), Temple, UCLA, VCU

The skinny:

[Summer Update] Bethea is a local player that hails from the same high school that produced Collin Gillespie. He’s not ranked by recruiting services, so ‘Nova is in the hunt early and well before many high majors catch word of his 6-foot-4 shooter. Bethea thrived in the sixth man role as a sophomore and quickly garnered a reputation for being one of the top three-point shooters in the area. If he continues his upward trajectory, he should fit right in with ‘Nova.

[January Update] Bethea’s recruitment has only gotten more crowded since the summer as he’s picked up offers from Miami, Seton Hall, Syracuse, St. John’s, and Notre Dame. He’s been scoring at will this high school season with multiple games of nearly 30 points. While Jalil took a few visits in the fall, I haven’t found anything on his commitment timeline or if he will be cutting down the school at all.

Christian Bliss

Rating: Unranked (247 Sports: NR| On3: NR )
Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y.
High School: George School
AAU: NY Rens
Height: 6-4
Weight: 175
Offer date: Jan. 7
Status: Offered and took unofficial visit
Other offers: Bryant, Delaware, Drexel, FGCU, Manhattan, St. Joe’s, Saint Peter’s, Siena, Towson, Xavier

The skinny:

[Summer Update] N/A. The most recent recruiting development, Bliss is a fast-rising prospect who was not on Villanova fans’ radar over the summer.

[January Update] Villanova’s latest offer hails from Neptune’s hometown of Brooklyn. Some places list Bliss as a three-star prospect, but that’s not listed in recruiting website player rankings. However, that will likely change soon given Bliss’s recent traction. The last two months have resulted in four offers (Xavier, St. joe’s, Drexel, and Villanova), social media praise, and several other schools monitoring. Jake Weingarten of Stockrisers.com reported that Bliss took an unofficial visit this past Saturday when the Cats took on Xavier and that coaches “rave about him”. He appears to be monitored by other high major teams including Virginia, DePaul, and St. John’s per Rivals.

Boogie Fland

Rating: 5-star (247 Sports: 12 | on3: 5 )
Hometown: Harlem, N.Y.
High School: Archbishop Stepinac
AAU: PSA Cardinals
Height: 6-3
Weight: 175
Offer date: Aug. 4
Status: Offered
Other offers: Auburn, Bryant, UConn, Florida, Fordham, Georgetown, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, LIU, LSU, Louisville, Maryland, Miami, Michigan, North Carolina (visited), Oklahoma, Oregon, Pitt, Providence, Rider, Siena, St. Bonaventure, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Syracuse, TCU, UCLA, Virginia Tech

The skinny:

[Summer Update] It was a big summer for Fland, who was one of the youngest members on Team USA’s U-17 FIBA championship team. Fland thrived in his role off the bench and showcased he was more than just a scorer, putting together an impeccable assist-to-turnover ratio (tournament-high 8.3 AST:TO) and ranked in the top 10 for overall steals. He helped Team USA seal its dominant run with a gold medal, winning it on his birthday. As a sophomore at Stepinac, Fland averaged 14.4 points and 5.0 rebounds this past season. Since his time with the FIBA gold medal team, he shot further up the national recruiting scene, with the likes of Villanova, UNC and Kentucky offering him after returning home from Spain.

[January Update] As one would expect, the recruiting battle for Fland has only grown more competitive. Since Boogie’s scorching summer he’s risen to the No.5 overall prospect in Class of 2024 and picked up offers from other programs like Louisville, Florida, Syracuse, and Alabama. Despite a recent official visit to UNC, Fland will keep exploring his options. In a piece with On3, he will be taking more visits after the high school season and “most likely” will wait until his senior year to commit.

Ahmad Nowell

Rating: 4-star (247 Sports: 53| On3: 60)
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pa.
High School: Imhotep Institute
AAU: Team Final
Height: 6-2
Weight: 185
Offer date: TBD
Status: Offered?
Other offers: Memphis, Auburn, Tennessee, Kansas

The skinny:

[Summer Update] N/A. Nowell has had Villanova for a while, but nothing concrete had emerged during the summer. The Philly based point guard was named to the Nike EYBL Peach Jam third team over the summer, averaging 11.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 2.7 APG, and 1.3 SPG.

[January Update] None of the major recruiting websites (247 Sports, Rivals, On3) list Nowell as receiving a Villanova offer. On3 had a quick update on Nowell’s recruitment a few weeks ago that listed Villanova as a team in contact. However, Andrew Slater, a notable figure in the college basketball recruiting scene, recently mentioned on Twitter than Nowell has an offer from Villanova and Nowell “liked” the tweet, so we’ll have him on the radar.

Bryson Tucker

Rating: 5-star (247 Sports 19 |On3: 9)
Hometown: Baltimore, Md.
High School: IMG Academy
AAU: N/A (didn’t play AAU this past summer)
Height: 6-7
Weight: 195
Offer date: Sept. 23
Status: Offered
Other offers: Auburn, Duke, George Mason, Georgetown, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisville, LSU, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Penn State, Virginia Tech

The skinny:

[Summer Update] N/A. Tucker is another new entrant on this list as he was offered in the early fall. An elite level recruit, it seems like the entire country is recruiting him.

[January Update] Tucker earned a Villanova offer this past fall, and since then his stock has only continued to rise. Other large programs such as Michigan State and USC are the latest to inquire about the talented 5-star wing. Bryson attended Mount St. Joseph in Maryland but transferred to IMG Academy. An interesting note – this is a similar path to Jeremiah Robinson-Earl did in his high school career, by completing his senior year at IMG. Tucker’s recruitment is still “wide open” based on his comments in December. Like other recruits mentioned here, he likely won’t go on any visits until after the high school season.

Sir Mohammed

Rating: 4-star (247 Sports: 74 |On3: 137)
Hometown: Charlotte, N.C.
High School: Myers Park
AAU: Team Curry
Height: 6-6
Weight: 200
Offer date: July 26
Status: Offered and unofficial Visit
Other schools: Appalachian State, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Georgetown, Georgia, Georgia Tech, High Point, Michigan, N.C. State (Unofficial visit), Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Penn State (Official visit), Providence, Stanford (Official visit), UMass, USF, Virginia Tech (Unofficial visit), Xavier

The skinny:

[Summer Update] It’s been quite the last few months for Mohammed, who racked up a vast majority of his Division I offers throughout this stretch. He enjoyed a solid sophomore season, averaging 17.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists. He elevated his game even higher in the playoffs, where he averaged 25.7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.8 assists. Mohammed has only continued that upswing on the AAU circuit and has captured the eye of plenty of scouts. He’s the son of former NBA player Nazr Mohammed, so he’s got the game in his genes.

[January Update] As of late December, Mohammed’s recruitment is “wide open” and Villanova is one of the school he has been hearing from the most. Sir went on an unofficial visit to Villanova the weekend of the Oklahoma game.

Caleb Williams

Rating: 4-star (247 Sports: 134 |On3: 106)
Hometown: Washington, D.C.
High School: Sidwell Friends School
AAU: Team Takeover
Height: 6-7
Weight: 215
Offer date: July 27
Status: Offer – Unofficial Visit
Other offers: Bryant, Fordham, Georgetown, George Mason, George Washington, Georgia Tech (Unofficial visit), Harvard, Indiana (Official visit), Maryland, Miami, Michigan (Official visit), Notre Dame, Ole Miss, Penn, Penn State, USF, VCU, Virginia (Unofficial visit), Virginia Tech

The skinny:

[Summer Update] Williams hasn’t looked back since picking up his first-ever Division I offer in March, racking more up than a dozen offers before the start of his junior year. Williams is from the same high school that produced Josh Hart, and he’s another prospect that Neptune and Co. are in very early on. He’s not ranked by 247 sports or ESPN, but that will likely be changing after his junior season. Williams came through in the clutch, delivering the game-winning buzzer-beater to lift Sidwell Friends to a DCSAA title. He had a game-high 20 points and 12 rebounds in the championship game.

[January Update] Since the summer, Caleb Williams has been busy. He managed to crack the player rankings in national recruiting boards and most recently appeared at No. 103 for On3. Williams hit the road in October – completing official visits to Indiana and Michigan, while squeezing an unofficial visit to Villanova in between. I haven’t found any other updates on his recruiting, so we’re in wait and see mode for the time being.

Lathan Sommerville

Rating: 3-star (247 Sports: 135 |On3: 140)
Hometown: Peoria, IL
High School: The Skill Factory
AAU: Nike Meanstreets
Height: 6-8
Weight: 225
Offer date: Dec. 1
Status: Offered
Other schools: [Unofficial] Xavier, Wake Forest [Offer] Rutgers, SMU, Georgia Tech, Bradley

The skinny:

[Summer Update] N/A. Sommerville is one of Villanova’s latest recruiting developments, earning an offer in December.

[January Update] I haven’t found any other details about Sommerville’s recruitment with Villanova other than the offer last month. He has already taken unofficial visits to Xavier and Wake Forest. A scouting report from last spring highlights Lathan’s physical traits, good footwork, and rebounding skills.

Thomas Sorber

Rating: 4-star (247 Sports: 107 |On3: 43)
Hometown: Philadelphia, Pa.
High School: Archbishop Ryan
AAU: Team Final
Height: 6-9
Weight: 250
Offer date: Jan. 23
Status: Offered
Other offers: Bryant, Drexel, Georgetown, La Salle, Maryland, Miami, Mississippi State, Penn State (Unofficial visit), Pitt, Providence, Richmond, Saint Joseph’s, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Syracuse, Virginia, Xavier,

The skinny:

[Summer Update] N/A. He was largely under the radar, until he started to pick up steam on the high-major Division I recruiting circuit in August.

[January Update] The latest player to receive an offer from ‘Nova, he got one of the largest jumps in On3’s latest rankings – jumping from No. 117 up to No. 43. An extremely smart and efficient big man, he’s been a double-double machine for Archbishop Ryan this season. Sorber is also able to stuff the stat sheet with block and steals, including a 24 point 17 rebound 10 block night in late December against King’s Fork (Va.). Especially being in Villanova’s backyard, he’s one to keep an eye on.

Outlook

Class of 2023

The Class of 2023 is largely locked up and given the expected departures from Villanova’s current roster, its reasonable to expect some more movement before the summer.

From an incoming freshman perspective, there are only a few ways Villanova will be able to add to this class.

Kris Parker is the only 2023 prospect with a standing offer and his commitment date is still TBD and it seems like Villanova is still very much in the picture. There could be other prospects who get offered, visit, and possibly commit but it seems slim given how few are still uncommitted.

The other avenue is monitoring any spring movement from recruits. For instance, Saddiq Bey was all set to go to NC State until a last minute decommitment in May and then being on enrolled at Villanova within two weeks. With player and coaches moving around so much in college basketball these days, it’ll be something to look out for.

However, what appears to be the more likely method of filling out next year’s roster is the transfer portal. Coach Neptune is no stranger to the portal, as it helped him rebuild the Fordham roster last year. It’s probably anyone’s guess of what kind of player, how old, etc they’ll be targeting – but look for activity in the spring and summer with this.

Class of 2024

Based on the coaching staff’s activity with the current list of prospects – I’m guessing they’re trying to target a large class in 2024.

Regarding any next steps in recruiting activity (visits or commits) we’re likely on the cusp of a very busy period.

Multiple prospects mentioned above stated that once the high school season ends, they will pursue more school visits and get closer to committing.

If we take a quick look at Villanova’s most recent class – their commitment timelines align with the Class of 2024. Armstrong committed in April of his Junior Year, while Hausen and Whitmore committed in September and October of their senior year, respectively.

We’ll be providing updates as the next classes of Wildcats begin to take shape.