Villanova is searching for a new head coach for the second time in four years, and if you believe McNeese head coach Will Wade, the program is looking to hire one out of the NCAA Tournament field. Whoever ultimately lands the top job on the Main Line in Philadelphia, will need to start his rebuild on the recruiting trail after the Wildcats lost top recruit Dante Allen on Friday.
NEWS: 2025 4⭐️ Dante Allen tells @LeagueRDY he’s reopening his recruitment.
— Sam Kayser - 24/7 High School Hoops (@247HSHoops) March 21, 2025
Allen is a physical, high-IQ guard who is just flat-out productive. Has solid athleticism, is a smart passer and can knockdown the outside jumper.
He originally chose Villanova over Tennessee and… pic.twitter.com/enDPJsE6B0
Kyle Neptune was given three seasons to build a winner after following Jay Wright’s Final Four run in 2022, yet he dragged Villanova into its first three-season NCAA Tournament drought since the Wildcats missed out on March Madness for five straight years from 2000-04 as the program transitioned from Steve Lappas to Wright. So, after another disappointing year and Big East Tournament defeat, Villanova parted ways with Wright’s former assistant.
One thing that can often save an underperforming head coach is his upcoming recruiting classes, so when Villanova made the move to dismiss Neptune, the program was prepared to lose his 2025 recruits. With Allen’s de-commitment, the Wildcats now have zero high school players committed in 2025, bringing an additional degree of difficulty to the next head coach’s overhaul.
Allen is the 42nd-ranked player in the 2025 class according to 247Sports and was the highest-rated recruit of Neptune’s tenure. The 6-foot-4 guard out of Montverde Academy reportedly chose the Wildcats over Tennessee and Georgia, so he could be heading to the SEC next season.
There are plenty of potential Neptune replacements rumored to be connected to the program in recent days, and with the transfer portal, Villanova could inherit much of the roster of their next head coach’s former team. The portal has expedited rebuilds with Pat Kelsey and Dusty May taking Louisville and Michigan both to the NCAA Tournament this year in their first season at their respective power-conference programs.