A familiar face returns to the sideline.

Work on the recruiting trail continues, and this time it's an elite 2025 prospect getting an offer in 6-8 Cooper Flagg, who plays at Montverde Academy.

Flagg is a five-star prospect who is ranked No. 2 in the class.

As you would expect with such a prospect, Flagg is drawing plenty of interest: Kansas, Duke, Michigan, UCLA and UConn have offered, as has Providence, Kansas State, West Virginia, Iowa and Georgia, among others.

Flagg is the whole package. Good size/length/athleticism. Nice footwork and soft touch around the rim. Can score from all three levels. Willing defender. Good motor with a nice, quiet, understated swag. Probably needs to tighten the handle a little bit, but what he has and where he's at for his age is impressive and it's easy to see why he's garnering the attention he is.

Neptune clearly intends to continue going after the top recruits (as he should) and it will be interesting to see how this one plays out.

More transfer portal work for Nova, as Kansas transfer Zuby Ejiofor is expected to visit Villanova this week.

Originally a member of the 2022 class, Ejiofor was a four-star prospect who was ranked No. 48 in his class. He played just 5.1 minutes per game last season at Kansas (hence the transfer) but in that limited time he had a rebounding percentage of 19.1%, including 24% on defensive rebounds. Ejiofor is only listed at 6-9, so he doesn't necessarily bring the body of a true big many Nova fans are hoping for, but that rebound percentage is encouraging.

Haven't gotten to Ejiofor's film yet but another name to keep an eye on as Nova looks to round out the roster and add some size.

Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson announced his commitment to Kansas this morning, choosing the Jayhawks over Villanova, Kentucky and Maryland.

Obviously a disappointing development. Dickinson was the No. 1 rated transfer on the market and would have put Nova into the conversation of Big East favorites.

Despite the disappointment, I think there are some good things to take away here. Nova being in his final four (and many, including me, believe this came down to a Kansas-Nova race) indicates that Kyle Neptune and his staff can impress and compete for top recruits and that the program remains attractive to big-time prospects/players. Furthermore, it shows the Villanova's NIL is in position to compete with the the biggest schools in the country and to put forth competitive, enticing offers. Despite missing out on this commitment, the process and the way it played out show that Nova is in position to remain competitive on the recruiting trail.

Ideally, Nova will still look to add a big. You'll hear a handful of names bandied about, but the one that I would prefer to be the priority is 7-0 Grant Nelson, a North Dakota State transfer.

2024 F/C Thomas Sorber has dropped a top four and included Villanova. Joining the Wildcats are Providence, Miami and Georgetown.

Sorber is a local product, playing at Archbishop Ryan. He's listed at 6-9 and is a four-star prospect who is currently ranked 70th in the class.

A couple things are quickly becoming clear about Villanova's approach to the 2025 class. First, Kyle Neptune and company are looking for backcourt players. Second, they are not shying away from going after the elite prospects in the class.

With five-star Meleek Thomas already holding an offer from Nova, the Cats got out an offer to another prospect at the top of the 2025 rankings. This time it's five-star point guard Isiah Harwell, who is currently the No. 5 ranked prospect in the 2025 class (Thomas is ranked No. 7). Harwell plays at Wasatch Academy in Utah.

His recruitment is already competitive, as you would expect with a top 10 prospect, with schools like Arizona State, Baylor, Creighton, Florida State, Houston, Kansas, North Carolina, St. John's, Texas, Texas Tech, UCLA, Duke, Gonzaga and Kentucky, among others.

Another 2024 offer is out, this time to 6-10 big man Lathan Sommerville. Sommerville, from Illinois, plays at The Skill Factory in Georgia.

Interestingly, Sommerville spend much of his youth in Europe, where his dad played professionally, something he says has influenced his game.

Another name to keep an eye on in a 2024 class that is crucial for Nova.

Some more work on the 2024 class as four-star 2024 point guard Jalil Bethea is expected to take an unofficial visit to Villanova on Monday.

Bethea, who plays at Archbishop Wood, saw an impressive jump in the most recent Rivals150 update, rising from No. 80 to No. 39. He was unranked at the time of his Nova offer in July.

He has a large recruitment at the moment, as he's being pursued by Georgetown, Miami, Mississippi State, Penn State, Pitt, Rutgers, Seton Hall, St. Joe's, Syracuse, Temple, ULCA and West Virginia, among others.

Another transfer portal addition.

After all the hoopla last week about was or wasn't Hunter Dickinson at Villanova, we now have definitive word from the man himself, who announced during an appearance on the Roundball Podcast that he will be taking an official visit to Nova on Friday, April 28. Other schools getting Dickinson visits are Maryland, Georgetown, Kansas and Kentucky.

Obviously getting Dickinson would be huge as he's the No. 1 ranked player in the portal, but in my opinion in would be extra big for Nova just based on fit/need and what it would do to the roster. Villanova desperately needs a true big, a player over 6-8, and Dickinson more than answers that at 7-1. Just as importantly, the addition of Dickinson would allow for Eric Dixon to move to the four, where he is a more natural fit and where he would have the opportunity to create some real matchup problems for opponents. Of course, the message that would be sent to other recruits wouldn't hurt either.

It will likely be tough to land the big man battling against to CBB powers in Kansas and Kentucky and two hometown schools in Maryland and Georgetown. But at least Villanova will have an opportunity to make its full pitch and it will be interesting to see what Neptune (and former high school teammate Justin Moore) can do.

Maryland transfer Hakim Hart, who was on campus over the weekend, dropped a final four of Kansas, Villanova, Gonzaga and Miami on Wednesday. He also noted that he expects to make his announcement on Friday. I'm hearing strong rumblings that Villanova will be the choice.

Hart, a Philadelphia native who went to Roman Catholic, averaged 11.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.2 steals last season for Maryland. He only shot 33.3% from three last season, but hit 80.4% of his free throw attempts (and 85% the season before), usually a strong indication of potential improvement from deep.

At 6-8 with the skills of a guard, Hart would be an interesting addition for the Cats.

This one I can confirm. Maryland transfer Hakim Hart is visiting Villanova Saturday.

Hart, a Philadelphia native who went to Roman Catholic, averaged 11.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.2 steals last season for Maryland.

In his high school recruitment, he chose Maryland over programs like Temple, St. Joe's, La Salle, Northwestern, Georgetown and Notre Dame.

Listed as a guard, Hart stands 6-8, so he'd likely take on more of a wing role with the Cats.

A nice win in the transfer portal for Kyle Neptune.

Word going around that Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson is on campus at Villanova Friday. Dickinson was slated to take visits to Maryland and Georgetown this weekend, so this is certainly plausible. I haven't been able to independently confirm, but there's enough chatter that I think it's worth sharing. Dickinson would be an absolutely huge get for Nova, so if this is true it's very exciting.

Some interesting news from Nova today, as the university has created a new position in the athletic department.

No surprise here, but it's official.

Tuesday brought details of the new Big 5 setup and some schedule details for Villanova as well.