Darryl "Buddy" Simmons II Has a Chance to Complete Villanova's 2026-27 Core
A career 40% shooter from deep, he led the Big South and A10 in three-point makes the past two seasons.
Coming off a 24–9 season that included a 15–5 Big East record, a third‑place conference finish, and an eight seed in the NCAA Tournament, Villanova’s first year under head coach Kevin Willard should be considered nothing short of a resounding success.
However, this offseason brought a major shift to the Main Line. Returning for the Cats in 2026-27 are just two rotational pieces from last year: do-it-all guard Tyler Perkins, and a promising stretch four in Matt Hodge — who is currently working his way back from an ACL tear suffered in late February.
In need of reinforcements, Willard’s staff went to work in the portal. Villanova brought in former elite recruits in Devin Royal from Ohio State and ex-Oregon Duck Kwame Evans Jr., flipped four-star Overtime Elite guard Adam Oummidoch’s commitment from St. John’s, and added proven pieces in both Jake Fiegen (17.4 PPG at Cornell) and Elijah Crawford (14.1 PPG and 4.9 APG at UIC).
Yet, an argument can be made that their most impactful addition has been that of Darryl “Buddy” Simmons II, an electric point guard who joins the program fresh off a tremendous campaign with St. Bonaventure.
Getting to Know Buddy Simmons
Simmons, a 5’11” senior guard originally from Detroit, Michigan, plays with a chip-on-his-shoulder mentality. The 2023 recruit starred as the lead guard for Putnam Science Academy (CT) as a high schooler, winning a pair of prep national titles and leaving campus as the team’s all-time leader in three-point makes (147) before starting his collegiate journey at Gardner-Webb.
Having served in a minimal bench role (10 minutes per game) as a freshman, he more than tripled his minutes (33.5 per game) the next year. Earning Second Team All-Big South honors as a sophomore, Simmons averaged 17.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game on 43.4% shooting and 38.9% from three.
Following the 2024-25 campaign, Simmons transferred to St. Bonaventure, where he averaged 16.4 points per game across 34 games played (33 starts). The box score data speaks for itself:
His scoring average ranked third in the A10 behind Fordham’s Dejour Reeves (17.9) and Duquesne’s Tarence Guinyard (16.6).
He shot career-bests both overall (44.2% FG) and from three (42.5%).
His 556 total points were second in the league to Dayton’s Javon Bennett (585).
His 35.4 minutes per game ranked in the 98th percentile of all Division I players and led the Atlantic 10 Conference (a mark upped to 37.1 MPG when facing league foes).
Simmons has gotten it done against top competition as well. Here he is going for 22 against North Carolina last November, and 22 more versus Tennessee the season prior:
The Fit at Villanova
The move to Villanova this offseason reinvigorates a team forced to revamp their backcourt. The Wildcats lost a pair of starters in star freshman Acaden Lewis and a prominent scorer in Bryce Lindsay.
Meanwhile, 2025-26 Big East Sixth Man of the Year Devin Askew graduated, and promising young guard Chris Jeffrey (a former four-star recruit who appeared sparingly across 22 contests last year while battling knee ailments), left for Loyola-Chicago.
Lindsey (Nova’s second-leading scorer last season at 12.3 PPG) and Lewis (12.2 PPG) were both high-end scorers last year, but each struggled with their three-point shots, with the Latter shooting 27% from three, and, although Lindsay's season-long three-point percentage averaged out at a solid 35.6%, he was just 27.9% from behind the arc in Big East play.
Enter Simmons, who's aforementioned three-point clip in 2025-26 ranked in the NCAA’s 98th percentile. He’s led each of his respective conferences in triples made the last two years (a Big South-best 82 in 2024-25; 94 to top the A10 in 2025-26) and boasts a career 40.3% split from deep.
Stats notwithstanding, Villanova’s prioritization of Simmons’ should come as no surprise. Historically, Willard’s teams operate through a clear-cut lead guard. In Willard’s three years at Maryland, the Terrapins relied on heavy doses of Jahmir Young (a usage rate of 29.6% in 2022-23 and 31% in 2023-24; the 98th percentile each season) and Ja’Kobi Gillespie (22.2% usage in 2024-25).
This past year, Lewis’ usage equated to a team-best 23.7% (78th percentile), with Lindsay right behind him at 23% (74th).
Simmons — utilized in 22.3% percent of St. Bonaventure’s sets last year — should feel right at home in Villanova’s backcourt.
While his playmaking capabilities may differ from that of Lewis (who averaged 5.3 assist per game), Simmons’ numbers are reflective of a steady ball handler:
His assist rate of 15% last year ranked in the 59th percentile
He rarely turned the ball over (9.3% TO Rate; 94th percentile)
His AST:TO ratio of 2.25:1 (54 assists to 24 turnovers) is certainly respectable
As a somewhat undersized guard, he’ll have his work cut out for him on the defensive end, especially given his limited ball pressure (28 total steals last year) and the slight foul trouble he ran into last year.
He’ll be part of a point guard rotation that also includes a fellow transfer in Crawford — a former top 100 prospect out of Brewster Academy who spent a year at BYU before shining at UIC last year. Crawford brings more size (6’3) and a pass-first approach (4.9 ASP, 27% from three), while Simmons can really shoot and score.
It’s also worth mentioning that, from a purely facilitative standpoint, this past year was atypical for a Willard-led bunch. Villanova’s 56.8% assist rate (73rd nationally) was the highest season-long mark that any of his teams have had since he was leading Seton Hall in 2019-20 (55.8% assist rate; 67th overall). Assuming there’s some regression towards the mean, Simmons should see ample opportunities to play his style of basketball.
A Look at the Tape
As is the case with all transfers we feature, we want to give readers the truest sense of what a player looked like over the past year. Simmons’ shooting ability and creativity off the bounce were on display in the A10 Tournament. Here is an unfiltered four-minute clip of Simmons from a year ago, including makes, misses, assists, and turnovers:
The Final Word
Simmons resembles all that Willard looks for in a guard: a dependable scorer, capable facilitator, and a no-nonsense competitor.
The question will be how his frame holds up in the Big East, although it’s worth noting Villanova got very good play from Jhamir Brickus, another undersized A10-to-Big East transfer (La Salle), who started all 36 games for the Wildcats during the 2024-25 season. Nova group also features enough size surrounding Simmons to prevent him from being on an island defensively.
And so, if his recent seasons are any indicator, that self-made version of Darryl Simmons II will be more than enough for Villanova to sustain their forward progression entering this upcoming season.
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