A trio of gifted high school standouts and one transfer have officially signed financial aid agreements to attend Villanova. Guards Chris Jeffrey and Acaden Lewis along with forward Nico Onyekwere will enter Villanova as freshmen this fall.
Jeffrey, 6-3, attends Mount Zion Prep in Lanham, Md. The guard originally made a pledge to play for head coach Kevin Willard during his tenure at Maryland. The native of Brooklyn, N.Y., is listed as the nation’s No. 70 recruit in the Class of 2025 by 247 Sports.
“Chris is a point guard who plays both ends of the floor,” said Willard. “He brings a physical presence and strength to the backcourt. Offensively, Chris scores the ball at all levels – strong and quick enough to get by the defender to score at the basket, pull up, draw a foul or to distribute to his teammates. At the defensive end he is a pest on the ball in both full court and half court settings. Chris is terrific fit for our system and the Big East.”
Lewis, 6-2, comes to Villanova from Sidwell Friends School in Maryland, the alma mater of Wildcats’ legends Josh Hart and Saddiq Bey, both of whom now play in the National Basketball Association. The 2024 Washington, D.C., Gatorade Player of the Year is listed as the No. 31 recruit in the Class of 2025 by ESPN.
“Acaden is a true point guard, a quality 3-point shooter who plays with excellent pace,” said Willard. “He is an elite passer who has exceptional court vision. As he gains experience, Acaden will provide stability and leadership at the point guard position. We’re excited to welcome Acaden to the Nova Nation.”
Onyekwere, 7-1, hails from Abuja, Nigeria. After playing in Europe earlier in his high school career, he spent the 2024-25 season at Long Island Lutheran High School. He originally signed with Florida State in November 2024 before reopening his recruitment this spring following a coaching change.
“Nico is a space-eater, an old-school style center with the kind of tools needed to compete inside in the Big East,” Willard said. “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.” Bryce Lindsay, who was named Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year and its Sixth Man of the Year in 2024-25, also signed as a transfer from JMU.
The 6-3 native of Baltimore retains three seasons of athletic eligibility.
“Bryce is a combo guard with a high basketball IQ who can make shots from anywhere on the court and does it off the bounce or in catch to shoot,” said Willard. “He can fill a lot of columns on the stat sheet with his playmaking ability and knack for rebounding from the guard position. We’re super excited to bring Bryce on board at Villanova.”
Lindsay, who began his college career at Texas A&M in 2023-24, averaged 13.4 points per game at James Madison last season. He started the final 13 games of the campaign and contributed 2.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per outing. His 87 3-point field goals broke the JMU freshman record in that category and he converted .408 of those attempts, tops in the Sun Belt Conference.
As a prep player, Lindsay spent a year at IMG Academy after attending St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, where he averaged 19.6 points per game.
In the last week, Villanova has announced eight new arrivals for its 2025-26 roster (Devin Askew, Duke Brennan, Malcolm Flaggs, Chris Jeffrey, Acaden Lewis, Lindsay, Nico Onyekwere and Zion Stanford) and confirmed the return of Matthew Hodge and Tyler Perkins from its 2024-25 unit. (Release via Villanova) Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on Facebook
Jeffrey, 6-3, attends Mount Zion Prep in Lanham, Md. The guard originally made a pledge to play for head coach Kevin Willard during his tenure at Maryland. The native of Brooklyn, N.Y., is listed as the nation’s No. 70 recruit in the Class of 2025 by 247 Sports.
“Chris is a point guard who plays both ends of the floor,” said Willard. “He brings a physical presence and strength to the backcourt. Offensively, Chris scores the ball at all levels – strong and quick enough to get by the defender to score at the basket, pull up, draw a foul or to distribute to his teammates. At the defensive end he is a pest on the ball in both full court and half court settings. Chris is terrific fit for our system and the Big East.”
Lewis, 6-2, comes to Villanova from Sidwell Friends School in Maryland, the alma mater of Wildcats’ legends Josh Hart and Saddiq Bey, both of whom now play in the National Basketball Association. The 2024 Washington, D.C., Gatorade Player of the Year is listed as the No. 31 recruit in the Class of 2025 by ESPN.
“Acaden is a true point guard, a quality 3-point shooter who plays with excellent pace,” said Willard. “He is an elite passer who has exceptional court vision. As he gains experience, Acaden will provide stability and leadership at the point guard position. We’re excited to welcome Acaden to the Nova Nation.”
Onyekwere, 7-1, hails from Abuja, Nigeria. After playing in Europe earlier in his high school career, he spent the 2024-25 season at Long Island Lutheran High School. He originally signed with Florida State in November 2024 before reopening his recruitment this spring following a coaching change.
“Nico is a space-eater, an old-school style center with the kind of tools needed to compete inside in the Big East,” Willard said. “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.” Bryce Lindsay, who was named Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year and its Sixth Man of the Year in 2024-25, also signed as a transfer from JMU.
The 6-3 native of Baltimore retains three seasons of athletic eligibility.
“Bryce is a combo guard with a high basketball IQ who can make shots from anywhere on the court and does it off the bounce or in catch to shoot,” said Willard. “He can fill a lot of columns on the stat sheet with his playmaking ability and knack for rebounding from the guard position. We’re super excited to bring Bryce on board at Villanova.”
Lindsay, who began his college career at Texas A&M in 2023-24, averaged 13.4 points per game at James Madison last season. He started the final 13 games of the campaign and contributed 2.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per outing. His 87 3-point field goals broke the JMU freshman record in that category and he converted .408 of those attempts, tops in the Sun Belt Conference.
As a prep player, Lindsay spent a year at IMG Academy after attending St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, where he averaged 19.6 points per game.
In the last week, Villanova has announced eight new arrivals for its 2025-26 roster (Devin Askew, Duke Brennan, Malcolm Flaggs, Chris Jeffrey, Acaden Lewis, Lindsay, Nico Onyekwere and Zion Stanford) and confirmed the return of Matthew Hodge and Tyler Perkins from its 2024-25 unit. (Release via Villanova) Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on Facebook
