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Villanova has had some great linebackers for the last few seasons, and with Don Cherry and Dillon Lucas graduating, it is good that they added Keeling Hunter to the middle of the defense. The two-star recruit from Hightstown, New Jersey's Peddie School (by way of Franklin Academy in Tennessee), committed to the program in August -- the ninth of his class. Today, Villanova announced that he has officially signed his National Letter of Intent.
Playing at 6'1" and 220-pounds, he had garnered some moderate interest from FBS schools, and was flirting with the idea of playing in the Ivy League at one point as well. He re-classified to the 2015 class, taking a post-grad year at Peddie, after considering his options at the end of the 2014 season. He was a two-time Division II-A all-state selection at Franklin Academy, recording 113 tackles (20.5 for a loss) in his 2014 season.
He appears to have a high motor and a good nose for the ball, allowing him to make some key plays on defense.
Depth Chart (* denotes walk-on)
| Class | Name | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior | Austin Calitro | 6'0" | 245 lbs. |
| Senior | Corey Majors | 6'0" | 250 lbs. |
| Senior | T.J. White | 6'1" | 225 lbs. |
| Junior | Ed Shockley | 5'11" | 225 lbs. |
| RS Sophomore | Jeff Steeb | 6'0" | 220 lbs. |
| Sophomore | Drew Wiley | 6'1" | 220 lbs. |
| Sophomore | Anthony Malaguti | 6'1" | 235 lbs. |
| Sophomore | Ben Evans | 6'2" | 220 lbs. |
| Junior | Joseph Sotomayor | 6'0" | 225 lbs. |
| Senior | Travis Clark | 5'10" | 215 lbs. |
| Junior | Gregg Kobelski | 6'0" | 215 lbs. |
Villanova loses a couple of key players among the linebackers to graduation this season, but most of the key players should be returning. Hunter will get an opportunity to earn a spot in the rotation, but he can't necessarily be sharpied into a spot on the preseason two-deep just yet..
Welcome Keeling to 'Nova Nation!