My guess ...and it's just that...conjecture based on the way we've seen this play out in the last few days...is that Jay Wright wisely didn't want to rain on K's parade.
All year K's departure has been the story.
It would have looked petty at best had Jay Wright announced this was his last season, too.
He apparently didn't want all the ballyhoo.
But he's known for quite a while.
Besides the coach and family the only people who likely knew were Villanova's AD and President.
That's how they could keep it quiet.
Kyle Neptune...likely JW's suggested successor...was contacted as soon as possible and told he was likely choice. A few others may have been contacted under the condition that they sign non-disclosure agreements. As soon as they had Neptune on board JW made his announcement.
The really hard part seems to have been getting everyone in the know at Fordham to remain silent.
Plus, we can only wonder what recruits - including one five star - were told.
That's already A LOT of people.
Jay Wright and family
Villanova AD and president
HC candidates
Fordham
even that is difficult to keep quiet because Fordham has to go into a huddle and figure out what their steps are to find a replacement without breaking the news before it is announced publicly.
the other coaching candidates who didn't get the offer may not be so inclined to keep quiet, their respective families may have to be on the decision as well.
Neptune's family, but also his attorney have to had reviewed his offer terms before Neptune can accept formally. That attorney has staff working on papers...
Villanova president and AD wouldn't be the ones to physically put together the contract, they dictated the terms, but the actual contract was put together by another attorney and staff.
I would assume Jay W cares about his current assistants, and wouldn't want them to find out he is retiring from ESPN and wanted to assure them their positions are secured with the new HC, or the new HC would have approached them as well to make sure they know he wanted them to stay on, and these assistants families.
Not sure about recruits or current players, may be they were kept in the dark all along.
That' still a lot of people in the loop, not in the loop at the same time, but progressively more and more brought into the loop.