Maryland Basketball: Kevin Willard recruiting a familiar name to Villanova

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When Kevin Willard left Maryland, the worry was that he was going to take some Terrapins with him. So far, nobody has followed Willard to the 'Cats, but Maryland has lost almost its entire roster to this point to either graduation or the transfer portal.

Guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie is one of those players who entered the portal. As of this writing, he is predicted to land at Tennessee, but that's not stopping the former Terrapins' coach from recruiting him at his new stomping ground. According to Jon Rothstein, Gillespie has an in-person meeting with the Vols on Wednesday, but he's also interested in Kentucky, North Carolina, Villanova, and Maryland.

Maryland transfer Ja'Kobi Gillespie will have an in-person visit with Tennessee today, per his father.

Also receiving interest from the following programs:

Kentucky
North Carolina
Maryland
Villanova

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 2, 2025

With Buzz Williams hired as the new coach for Maryland, he's going to do his best to retain some of the lost talent. Showing interest in both Rodney Rice and Gillespie would be a good start with a significant NIL package. Williams has a load of experience and was a two-time SEC Coach of the Year. There is a small chance he could sway some of the former Maryland players to come back to College Park to play under him.

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