Villanova Basketball Recruiting: Jalen Smith commits to Maryland

Top-50 forward Jalen Smith has committed to the Maryland Terrapins. He announced the decision on Twitter this evening.

This follows rampant speculation that he nearly committed on his official visit to Maryland this weekend. For nearly two years Smith has reportedly been a Maryland lean, so credit Mark Turgeon for landing his guy. There’s really no shame in this recruiting loss, though it always stings in the moment.

For Jay Wright and Villanova, there are currently no other offers out to true frontcourt players. ‘Nova has been in contact with Top-100 forward Jake Forrester of Westtown School (Pa.), so that may be the next move if the staff decides they need to target another frontcourt player.

A lot may depend on how Omari Spellman plays this year though, and whether he looks likely to head to the NBA. With Dylan Painter and Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree waiting in the wings the Villanova frontcourt does have some depth to it.