NCAA Basketball: Will Duke, Villanova, or Virginia land 5-star SG Trevor Keels?

Villanova Wildcats

Head Coach Jay Wright has built a national powerhouse at Villanova, winning 24+ games in each of the last seven years and winning a pair of national titles. The recruiting wins have followed, including landing a trio of five-star prospects in the last couple of years.

Two of them are on the roster for this season, including shooting guard Bryan Antoine and forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. These two will be key pieces on the consensus preseason top-5 squad, that’ll lose at least three seniors and potentially a couple of early NBA Draft entrants.

The good news is that Villanova already has secured a great 2021 recruiting class, led by four-star frontcourt prospects Nnanna Njoku and Trey Patterson. The team already has a top-100 shooting guard commit in Jordan Longino but it won’t have an impact on Keel’s recruitment. In fact, the Wildcats are used to playing three-guard lineups so it won’t be a negative from a roster perspective.

The only thing to consider for Keels is that the shooting guard position is already loaded for Villanova. Sophomore guard Justin Moore is a breakout candidate, along with Longino, Antoine, and Tulane transfer Caleb Daniels. Still, Keels is a step above the group and would be a focal point of their offense. He also wouldn’t be over-recruited in case the five-star guard isn’t ready to go pro after his freshman campaign.

Playing in the Big East for an elite head coach with an opportunity to play for a national title is a big selling point and with Keels, Villanova would have the top recruiting class for 2021. They’ve arguably been after him the hardest so don’t be surprised if they win out in the end.