Bryan Hodgson took the Providence job on March 31 and started dialing the same day. Two weeks later, five commits are on the board and the Friars have the portal class that Kim English needed last spring and never got. Ryan Sabol at 19.0 points per game. Devin Vanterpool at 15.2. Miles Byrd — the reigning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year — turning down Kentucky, Baylor, and Louisville to pick Providence as his first visit. Arrinten Page, a 6-11 center who started at Northwestern. Samson Aletan, the Yale senior with 1.4 blocks per game and 57.8 percent from the floor.
The Friars handed Hodgson a budget reportedly north of $10 million and six of his South Florida assistants followed him to Friartown. That is the infrastructure half. The other half is that Hodgson spent the portal recruiting like a coach who had been planning this job for a year. Miles Byrd was the tell — a 6-6 top-10 wing in the portal who committed off a first visit, over a field that had every blueblood calling. When Byrd said yes on April 11, the rest of the class fell into place within a week.
What was lost: most of the 2025-26 roster. Jaylen Harrell entered the portal and committed to Washington State. Jamier Jones — a Big East All-Freshman selection — transferred out. Stefan Vaaks picked Illinois. Adam Clark picked Ole Miss. The full rebuild was assumed when Providence hired Hodgson. The speed of the rebuild was not.
The board below is the class as constituted. Wes Enis — Hodgson's leading scorer at South Florida last year, 16.4 PPG on 35 percent from three — carries a do-not-contact tag that likely means he is following the staff to Providence. If so, that is the sixth commit, and arguably the closest fit to the system. The portal closes April 21.
19.0 PPG, 3.2 APG, and 39.5 percent from three across 30 starts at Buffalo — 36.7 minutes per game, the kind of workload that says he can absorb the Big East jump. The 42.2 percent field-goal mark is average, but the stroke and the scoring volume are real. With Vanterpool as the second guard and Sabol as the primary creator, Hodgson has an instant-impact backcourt before any other piece.
A 6-6 wing averaging 10.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.2 blocks — the kind of stat line that screams versatility. Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year. The 31.7 percent three-point shot is the one flaw in the profile, but Byrd changes games without scoring. Hodgson's biggest-name portal win, and the one that signaled to the rest of the market that Providence was serious.
15.2 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 37.0 percent from three at FAU as a freshman — rare rebounding output from a 6-4 guard. 1.5 steals and 0.8 blocks per game round out a defensive profile that fits the Hodgson style. The 42.8 percent field-goal mark needs work, but with three years of eligibility, Vanterpool has the longest runway of any commit in this class.
10.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.2 BPG at Northwestern while shooting 54.6 percent from the floor — a true efficient big who finishes at the rim and protects it. The 25.0 percent three-point mark means the spacing is on Byrd and the guards, not the frontcourt. Page pairs with Aletan to give Hodgson a two-big rotation with shot-blocking at both spots. Exactly the rim protection Providence lacked last year.
7.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.4 BPG at Yale on 57.8 percent shooting — a senior veteran who adds depth and rim protection at a budget-friendly price. The offensive game is limited but the defensive instincts are real. With Page as the starter and Aletan as the backup five, Hodgson can foul out one big and keep the rim protected. That was the single biggest weakness of the 2025-26 Friars.
16.4 PPG and 35.2 percent from three as a USF junior in 34 minutes a night. The 39.1 percent field-goal mark is the concern, but Enis played his whole college career for Hodgson and fits the system better than anyone else on the board. The do-not-contact tag is the industry tell — he is not entertaining outside calls because he has already decided. If this commitment lands as expected, Providence has six portal adds and a starting five.
We're going to build a roster from scratch that fits our style. That's the exciting part.
Best case: Sabol at the point, Vanterpool at the two, Byrd at the three, Page at the five, with Aletan spelling him inside and Enis anchoring the second-unit backcourt. Five commits, maybe six, all fitting roles that Hodgson ran at USF. The combined 72.7 PPG that the five committed players averaged last season is more than any recent Providence portal class — and that does not account for Enis landing. Hodgson has outworked the Big East in his first month on the job. The next question is whether the Friars can finish the rebuild with one more wing or a scoring forward to give the rotation eight deep. The budget is still there. The April 21 deadline is the pressure.