Patriot League denies Villanova quarterback Pat McQuaide’s eligibility appeal for 2026 season
With just six days to go before the Wildcats' season opener, against conference foe William & Mary, they might have to look elsewhere for a starting quarterback.
The Patriot League Council of Presidents executive committee has denied Villanova’s eligibility appeal for quarterback Pat McQuaide, Richard Hamilton Jr., the attorney representing McQuaide, confirmed to The Inquirer.
McQuaide and Villanova looked to file an appeal after the Patriot League denied his eligibility for 2026-27, despite the potential starting quarterback being granted a preliminary injunction to play this year.
The committee is composed of Lafayette president Dr. Nicole Hurd (chair), Loyola (Md.) president Terrence M. Sawyer (chair-elect), and Holy Cross president Vincent D. Rougeau. Patriot League commissioner Jennifer Heppel is the council’s liaison.
A request for comment was left with Villanova Athletics. The Patriot League said it doesn’t “comment on individual eligibility issues.”
On Aug. 4, the Patriot League sent a letter to Villanova stating that it had denied McQuaide’s eligibility waiver request based on the four seasons of competition rule. This decision conflicted with a preliminary injunction granted on Aug. 1 by Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Common Pleas Court Judge Timothy P. McCormick. McQuaide, who’s from Cuyahoga County, sued the NCAA after the governing body denied his waiver request to play in 2026.
“The Patriot League is now asserting [the four seasons of competition rule] as its basis to prohibit [McQuaide] from playing in any Patriot League games,” Hamilton, who represented McQuaide in Cuyahoga County, previously told The Inquirer. “My understanding is that Villanova has been informed that if he plays in any games, then they’ll be forfeited.”
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According to Page 7, Section 3 of the Patriot League bylaws, the school must submit “a written appeal, along with supporting documentation, to the Patriot League Commissioner no later than fourteen (14) days after receipt of the decision” on a student-athlete’s behalf.
McQuaide threw for 3,123 yards with 25 touchdowns last year and still could play for the Wildcats this season. However, with the Patriot League denying his eligibility, the case will need to be settled in court.
On Aug. 11, Hamilton, on behalf of McQuaide, filed a motion for clarification to the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. Hamilton is looking for the court to clarify whether the Patriot League is legally required to obey the court’s preliminary injunction. If so, the conference must allow McQuaide to play.
On Friday, two days after Hamilton filed a notice of supplemental authority to prompt an expedited ruling, the NCAA filed a brief in opposition. The governing body contends that the Patriot League is a “separate entity from the NCAA.” As the conference was not “served process and is not a defendant,” the NCAA is contending the motion for clarification does not apply to the Patriot League.
The question of McQuaide’s eligibility pertains to his 2022 season at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. In the original waiver request to the NCAA, Villanova argued that the COVID-19 pandemic directly led to the quarterback’s single season with the junior college. McQuaide contends that the pandemic stunted his development in high school, and he landed at Kent State as a walk-on. After one year redshirting with the Golden Flashes, he transferred to Mississippi Gulf Coast before two seasons at Nicholls State. Villanova described the move to a JUCO as a “necessary bridge rather than a choice to ‘use’ an additional season.”
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JUCO programs are not under the purview of the NCAA, but seasons spent at that level historically counted toward student-athletes’ eligibility. However, Villanova had requested that the season should not count as one of McQuaide’s allotted seasons of eligibility.
Villanova’s season opener is Friday at 6 p.m. against conference opponent William & Mary. With just six days to go before the opener and McQuaide’s situation unresolved, the Wildcats might have to look at another option at quarterback. Throughout spring and summer camps, senior Robert Russo and freshman Nolan DiLucia have been getting a majority of the starter reps.
