Top-rated Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson to visit Villanova on April 28

Villanova has a shot at landing the country’s top transfer.

Michigan center Hunter Dickinson announced on his podcast that he will take an official visit to Villanova on April 28. He currently is on an official visit to Kansas, and he also will take an official visit to Kentucky over the weekend.

Dickinson was born in Virginia and went to high school in Maryland, and his early transfer search focused on schools in that region. He took unofficial visits to Georgetown and Maryland. Dickinson also has not ruled out returning to Michigan.

» READ MORE: What’s next for Villanova under Kyle Neptune? Justin Moore’s decision and an aggressive transfer portal haul are up first.

The 7-foot-1 center arguably is the most acclaimed player to enter the transfer portal. He was a second-team All-American in his freshman season at Michigan, leading the Wolverines to a 23-5 record and the Elite Eight. As a sophomore, he led the Wolverines to the Sweet 16, where they lost to Villanova. He averaged 18.5 points and 9.0 rebounds last year to earn All-Big Ten honors, but Michigan struggled, finishing 18-16 and losing in the second round of the NIT.

Dickinson averaged 17.2 points and 8.4 rebounds in his three seasons in Ann Arbor. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining. The big man also has ties to Villanova. He played in high school at basketball powerhouse DeMatha Catholic with Villanova guard Justin Moore, who announced on March 31 that he would return to Villanova for a fifth year.

During Dickinson’s sophomore year of high school, the pair combined to lead DeMatha to its first Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championship in eight years, with both receiving first-team all-league honors. The two have remained close, with Dickinson posting on Instagram for Moore’s birthday last week. Moore responded, “miss this duo. mamba x diesel.”

» READ MORE: No NCAA Tournament for Villanova, and no ducking the challenges ahead

Dickinson would fill a Villanova need for size and vault the Wildcats from a potential NCAA Tournament team into a team that could contend for trophies in Kyle Neptune’s second season. Currently, 6-foot-8 Eric Dixon is the only returning Wildcat over 6-foot-5 to play more than seven minutes per game. Dickinson would combine with Dixon to form one of the nation’s top frontcourt duos.

The Wildcats, who recently landed former Washington State guard TJ Bamba via the portal, currently have three open scholarships. Maryland guard Hakim Hart (11.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg) has Villanova in his final four schools and will announce his transfer decision on Friday. Hart is a Philadelphia native who played his high school ball at Roman Catholic.