If you remember Elijah Crawford, the point guard who BYU assistant coach Brandon Dunson referred to as one of the best point guards in the entire country during his recruiting period, you'll be excited to hear that he's landed a role at Villanova after spending his sophomore season in the Missouri Valley Conference.
NEWS: UIC transfer guard Elijah Crawford has committed to Villanova, he told @On3.
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) April 20, 2026
The 6-3 sophomore averaged 14.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game this season. A former four-star recruit that began his career at BYU.https://t.co/P2CLLLO2iq pic.twitter.com/1JhfV87Fvl
Elijah Crawford was once a four-star recruit and the 7th highest-rated recruit in BYU basketball history. He joined the Cougars alongside Kevin Young, whose arrival in Provo checked all of Crawford's boxes and had the point guard committing to the Cougars without even entertaining interest from programs like Florida and Kansas.
But low minutes and a minimized freshman role with the Cougars left Crawford to bet on himself, downgrading to UIC through the transfer portal in the hopes of proving what he can do on the basketball court, rather than beside it.
With no disrespect to the University of Illinois-Chicago (19-16, 12-8 MVC in 2025-26), Crawford didn't make the jump from BYU to UIC for the prestige -- this was a visibility play. Sure, given another year or two in Kevin Young's system, Crawford could have carved out a role with the Cougars, but his plan to put himself on the court has worked incredibly well.
After averaging just 1.2 points in 5 minutes per game as a freshman, Crawford's sophomore picnic was seasoned with 14 points, 4.9 assists, and 1.6 steals per night. Ironically, with his playmaking ability paired with perimeter defense, the former BYU transfer would be instrumental in Provo, considering the team's four remaining roster spots and Kevin Young's hunt for improved defensive impact.
Where Crawford has struggled, however, is at the three-point line, where his 27.6% clip was actually a career high. It'll be fascinating to see if Crawford can both secure the starting job at 'Nova and improve as a shooter. It's challenging for poor jump-shooters to break through at the highest levels of college basketball -- especially for 6'2" guards -- but Elijah Crawford deserves immense praise for his improvement.
This former BYU Cougar bet on himself, and now he's receiving dividends.
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