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, 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: