Regardless of how Nico Onyekwere’s role is perceived for the 2026-27 season, Villanova is still in need of two more centers. With all of the smoke around the recruitment of Italian big man Luigi Suigo, it appears that Onyekwere is viewed as no more than a back-up. That begs the next question: Is Onyekwere the primary back-up, or does he project as third string for the second-consecutive year?
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Per Hitmen Hoops, the Wildcats have reached out to 2026 center Kaleb Davis over the past four days. The 6’10” big man is unranked on 247sports and hails from Germantown, TN. Davis plays for Houston High School in Germantown, but he is also set to participate in the EYBL Session 2 for Team Thad Nation from May 15-17.
Given the fact that he is unranked or does not have a profile on recruiting sites, it’s clear that he is a late-bloomer. Per Hitmen Hoops, Davis has a 7’3” wingspan and combines that with sound defensive instincts to be an elite rim protector. Davis is raw on the offensive side, but he can provide some impact in the pick-and-roll game.
The list of suitors appears to have started with Virginia Tech, Charlotte, La Salle and others, but has since expanded to NC State, Villanova, Seton Hall, Texas A&M, UAB and UT Arlington over the course of this week. The inclusion of power conference schools with NCAA-Tournament aspirations could speak to the current landscape for recruiting big men, but more than likely he is viewed by them as a developmental back-up or redshirt candidate.
From a Villanova perspective, he would seem to be the new Onyekwere. Like a year ago when Braden Pierce had previously redshirted, Onyekwere would likely slot in as the backup. That said, the incoming “5 in 5” ruling would make it to where Kevin Willard can just let them compete to see who is the best reserve. It could end up being a situation like in 2023-24, where both Lance Ware and Nnanna Njoku got opportunities to play given the lack of consistency in production.
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I wouldn’t view this report as any sort of bad news on Suigo, but more so that Willard would like one more potential option to come off of the bench. There have been some murmurs about Villanova double-dipping for international centers, but regardless it’s clear that Willard would prefer to have at least three of them on the roster. Davis seems to have the traits that you look for in a developmental center, and perhaps either Davis or Onyekwere could be the starter in 2027-28.
