Villanova to sign Oregon’s Kwame Evans Jr. out of the transfer portal

Villanova has its first transfer portal addition of the 2026 offseason.

The Wildcats are signing Oregon transfer Kwame Evans Jr., a 6-foot-10 forward who spent his first three seasons with the Ducks, he posted on his Instagram page.

Evans, a Baltimore native, averaged 13.3 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 30.9 minutes with 30 starts in 2025-26.

Evans played primarily the power forward spot with Oregon next to a 7-foot center, and may be best utilized in a similar role with the Wildcats, who may still be looking for a starting center in the portal to replace the graduating Duke Brennan. Evans attempted 3.4 three-pointers per game last season, connecting on 30.4% of them. He made nearly 80% of his 5.1 free throw attempts per game.

» READ MORE: Villanova will have two starters back, but other needs have emerged after multiple portal entries

Villanova needed to get bigger and more athletic up front, and Evans, a top-20 prospect in the 2023 class, fits that hole.

He is the first signing of what should be an active couple weeks for Kevin Willard and his staff during this portal cycle. The Wildcats seemingly have two guaranteed starters at the moment: Evans and shooting guard Tyler Perkins, who will return for his senior season. Last year’s starting power forward, Matt Hodge, is coming back for 2026-27, but it’s unclear if he’ll be ready to start in games when the season begins as he recovers from surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee.

Hodge’s future might be at the small forward spot anyway.

Villanova needs to replace freshman starting point guard Acaden Lewis, who entered the portal while also declaring for the NBA draft after a financial agreement could not be reached. Fellow freshman point guard Chris Jeffrey remains in the fold, and could compete for a much larger role than he had in 2025-26.

» READ MORE: 2026 men’s college basketball transfer portal tracker: Latest Big 5 moves, where Philly-area recruits are heading

The addition of Evans — whose agent, James Dunleavy, is the brother of Villanova general manager Baker Dunleavy — bolsters the depth chart at the forward spots with Evans, Hodge, and rising junior Malachi Palmer. The Wildcats have also been connected to Ohio State transfer Devin Royal.

An experienced point guard and a center remain top priorities. The Wildcats could also use some more shotmaking from three-point range to backfill Bryce Lindsay, who also entered the portal, and Devin Askew, who is out of eligibility. Incoming freshman Adam Oumiddoch, a 6-foot-5 guard, can shoot, but another experienced shooter potentially off the bench would be an ideal fit.

The transfer portal opened on April 7 and has more than 2,000 names in it as of Monday morning.

Transfer portal rankings are relatively useless — Villanova had a low-rated class last offseason and played above supposed expectations — but Evans ranked as the 23rd overall transfer on On3’s list of transfers as of Friday.