Villanova Basketball: 4-star Matthew Hodge becomes 1st commit in 2024 class
Kyle Neptune and Villanova Basketball get on the board in the 2024 recruiting class, landing New Jersey prospect, Matthew Hodge.
It hasn’t been the greatest offseason for Villanova Basketball on the recruiting trail. They’ve reportedly been in the mix for a number of quality prospects in the 2024 class, including stars like 5-star Jalil Bethea. Unfortunately, they haven’t been able to land a commitment from any of them.
That changed in the past week for the Wildcats, thanks to Matthew Hodge, a four-star prospect from the state of New Jersey. He’s a 6’8 combo forward with great size, listed at 6’8 and 200 pounds. He’s known as a good defender with shooting capability and true two-way potential long-term.
It was a true battle for Hodge’s services, as Villanova had to contend with programs such as Marquette, Maryland, and Virginia. And all of them also had appealing pitches to make for the prospect. But the four-star recruit probably has the best chance at early playing time at Villanova, thanks to the several players on the roster set to leave after next season.
Two of the key incoming transfers that’ll be playing the 3 and 4-spots this season are Hakim Hart and Tyler Burton, both of whom are only around for one year. And starting forward Eric Dixon is entering his senior season, likely moving on as well. The leaves incoming freshman wing Jordann Dumont, a four-star recruit in his own right.
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While there remains questions as to whether Coach Kyle Neptune is the long-term option for Villanova Basketball, it’s still one of the top programs in all of college basketball right now, especially if you’re a local target. So it makes complete sense to why Hodge would pick them. Now, we’ll have to wait a year to see what kind of impact he’ll have on the program.