Villanova football picked by coaches and media to win Colonial Athletic Association title

After going 10-3, winning the regular season Colonial Athletic Association title and reaching the quarterfinals of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs before losing 35-21 to South Dakota State, Villanova enters a new season with another bullseye on its back.

In a poll by the conference coaches and media relations directors that was released on Thursday, Villanova has been picked as the team to beat in the CAA, receiving 16 of the 26 first-place votes.

This, despite the fact that Villanova must replace its quarterback and rebuild the majority of its defense.

Surprised?

“Looking on paper and what we have coming back, there are a lot of good teams in this league and a lot of good returning players on other rosters, so I guess it was a little surprising,” Villanova coach Mark Ferrante said during Thursday’s CAA media day via Zoom.

There are changes this year in the CAA. James Madison, which tied Villanova with a 7-1 conference record, has moved to the Sun Belt Conference. (Villanova earned the automatic NCAA bid for winning the CAA by beating James Madison, 28-27, in the regular season last year.) Newcomers this season to the CAA are Monmouth and Hampton.

Villanova’s rival, Delaware, under first-year head coach Ryan Carty, was picked to finish second. The Blue Hens received seven first-place votes.

Since 2008, Villanova has qualified for the FCS playoffs eight times. That included 2009 when the Wildcats won the national championship.

Villanova returns 61 letterwinners. There are six returning starters on offense and just three on defense with three specialists.

As for key losses, cornerback Christian Benford was drafted in the sixth round (185th pick) by the Buffalo Bills

Linebacker Forrest Rhyne signed a free agent contract with the Indianapolis Colts, and cornerback Denzel Williams signed a free agent contract with the Baltimore Ravens.

Replacing quarterback Daniel Smith, who threw 24 touchdown passes and rushed for 270 yards and eight touchdowns, will be the biggest task on offense.

At this point, veteran Connor Watkins, who completed 9 of 13 passes for 116 yards and touchdown as Smith’s backup last season, enters camp as the starter. Watkins is a 6-foot-3, 215-pound junior from Williamsport.

“Right now, Connor, with the level of experience and the number of years he’s been in the program, has the upper hand coming out of spring, and that’s how we will start preseason,” Ferrante said.

As for the other returnees, Villanova had four players named to the preseason first-team all-conference squad and another earning honorable mention.

The first-teamers on offense are junior receiver Rayjoun Pringle, who had 41 receptions for 843 yards and eight touchdowns, and graduate offensive linemen Michael Corbi and Colin Gamroth. Corbi, Villanova’s starting left guard, was a first-team All-CAA choice last year. Gamroth, a center, was a second-team all-CAA selection. In addition, senior TD Ayo-Durojaiye was a preseason first-team selection on special teams.

Senior receiver Jaaron Hayek, who had 40 receptions for 671 yards and nine touchdowns, was the honorable mention selection.

Despite only having three starters returning on defense, Ferrante said there’s plenty of experience.

“We have a lot of guys (on defense) with playing experience,” Ferrante said. “We play with three down linemen and probably rotate as many as six throughout the course of the game”.

He also said linebackers and secondary personnel rotated a lot, so he feels comfortable with the experience of his returning players.

In addition, Villanova has added five players from the transfer portal. Ferrante said he doesn’t know how they will fare, but that they have blended in well with the team.

The five are linebacker Antonio Montero from Rice, linebacker Daniel Abraham (Harvard), linebacker Dan Damico (Albany), defensive back Jonnie Pitman (Charlotte), and kicker Matthew Mercurio (San Jose State).

“We have added five grad transfers to the roster, and I am excited to see what they do when we get out on the field next week,” Ferrante said.

Villanova opens its season Sept. 2 against Lehigh at home. The first CAA opponent is Sept. 24 when the Wildcats host Monmouth.

The regular season finale is Nov. 19 at home against Delaware, in a game that, based on preseason predictions, could determine the CAA champion.

1. Villanova, 2. Delaware, 3. Rhode Island, 4. Richmond, 5. William & Mary, 6. Elon, 7. Stony Brook, 8. Maine, 9. New Hampshire, 10. Monmouth, 11. Towson, 12. Albany, 13. Hampton.