Top-20 Recruit DeRon Rippey to Visit Villanova

DeRon Rippey, a four-star recruit in the 2026 class, tells On3 that he will take an unofficial visit to Villanova on Saturday, March 1st. The 6-foot-0 point guard out of Blairstown (NJ) Blair Academy will be in attendance to watch the Wildcats play Butler.

Rippey, On3’s No. 18 overall player in the 2026 recruiting class, recently helped his Blair Academy team win their second consecutive state prep championship. The four-star finished with 16 points, eight rebounds, and 11 assists in the title game.

Rippey earned an offer from Kyle Neptune in March of 2024. He claims close to 25 offers, from the likes of North Carolina, Illinois, Syracuse, Louisville, Maryland, St. John’s, and more. His lone official visit has been to Louisville.

Rippey discusses Villanova

In a previous interview with On3’s Jamie Shaw, DeRon Rippey discussed Villanova.

“They’ve been very consistent with me,” Rippey said. “I took my visit there to their Villanova Madness event and got to see their environment. They just picked up a big win over UConn and I really like Eric Dixon for them. I would like to see them play a little bit more through their guards.

”The environment was great. The whole student section came out and they had a little concert, so the whole visit was vibey.”

What DeRon Rippey is looking for in a school

In the same interview with On3, Rippey talked about what he was looking for in a school.

“I would say I’m looking to start focusing on visits maybe June of next year,” Rippe said. “You know, that period between AAU and the finals. I’m going to be looking closely at the fit and then the relationship I have and the culture of the programs. I’m comfortable playing fast, but also being creative and not really put in a box.”