1 week Ago By Andrew Kulha, Yardbarker
Kevin Willard spent the last three seasons at Maryland, but when Kyle Neptune was fired, one of the best coaching opportunities in the country opened up at Villanova. After Maryland's run to the Sweet 16 — where the Terps ultimately lost to Florida — it did not take long for Willard to jump on that opportunity at Villanova. He was hired on March 30, and now he's quickly working on building his team for next year.
It's not unusual for a new coach to bring players and assistants from their previous stop to help them transition in their new opportunity, and that's exactly what Willard did over the weekend. The first move wasn't huge, but it brought a familiar face over to Villanova from Maryland as Malachi Palmer is transferring into the program. Palmer was a freshman at Maryland last season and didn't get a ton of action.
He played in 22 games and averaged just 1.6 points and 1.4 rebounds per game in 8.
4 minutes played. The second move Willard secured was much more significant, and it goes down as a major recruiting win early in his tenure with the Wildcats. Chris Jeffery, one of the better combo-guard recruits in the 2025 class, was committed to Maryland under Willard.
N ow, he has changed his commitment to Villanova. NEWS: 4⭐️ Chris Jeffrey, a former Maryland pledge, has committed to Villanova and will follow Kevin Willard, he tells @On3Recruits . The 6-3 point guard is a top-60 recruit in the 2025 class, per On3.
https://t.co/r8EsIPbkmQ pic.twitter.
com/cJYjE3gj4z This is a big win for Willard as he looks to turn around a Villanova program that hasn't made the NCAA Tournament for three seasons. Jeffrey, who checks in at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, is ranked as the No. 13 combo guard in the 2025 class, according to 247Sports.
From Lanham, Maryland, he's also ranked as the No. 3 player from the state . Getting him to leave Maryland is a huge move for Villanova because Jeffrey could have stuck with the Terps to play for Buzz Williams, who is a good coach himself.
That just goes to show how important relationships can be on the recruiting trail because Villanova absolutely benefited from Willard's relationship with Jeffrey. Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports.
