Villanova men’s basketball’s freshman Nico Onyekwere has entered the transfer portal, per Verbal Commits on X. He has four years of eligibility remaining after redshirting the 2025-26 season with Villanova.
The seven-foot-one center from Nigeria did not make any appearances on the court this year for the Wildcats.
Onyekwere spent part of his high school career in Europe, before coming to the United States to play at Long Island Lutheran in New York. He was ranked No.2 in the state, and initially signed a letter of intent to play for Florida State.
He then decommitted from FSU in March of 2025 after a coaching change. Onyekwere committed to Villanova in April 2025 as a three-star recruit.
In Onyekwere’s senior year of high school, he averaged 6.2 points and five rebounds across 15 games, as well as 22 blocks on the season.
Upon his commitment, head coach Kevin Willard said “Nico is a space-eater, an old-school style center with the kind of tools needed to compete inside in the Big East. He has range to 17 feet , can shoot the hook shot with both hands and does a good job on screen and rolls. We’re eager to get to work to help Nico transition to the speed of the college game and continue to develop his skills.”
With Duke Brennan graduating, and Braden Pierce entering the portal earlier this week, Willard will need to find a center for Villanova in the portal.
The NCAA men’s transfer portal opened on April 7, 2026 and will close on April 21, allowing a 14 day period.
