Category: Villanova

Villanova announced the signing of 13 players during college football’s early signing day on Wednesday.

Five offensive players and eight defensive players in the 2026 recruiting class signed their national letters of intent to join the Wildcats next season under coach Mark Ferrante. The incoming class features five players from Pennsylvania, five from New Jersey, two from Maryland, and one from Connecticut.

Signees on offense

The Wildcats signed wide receivers Jasiah Brown of Morristown (N.J.) High School and Andrew Esposito of New Canaan (Conn.) High School; offensive lineman Patrick Degnan of Seneca High School; quarterback Nolan DiLucia of Peters Township (Pa.) High School; and running back Brandon Way of Lancaster Catholic.

Brown will play wide receiver on the Main Line after a decorated high school career as a two-way starter at Morristown, where he earned first-team all-conference honors. Esposito, a 6-foot-3 receiver, was among the top recruits out of Connecticut and was named the state’s MaxPreps Player of the Year in 2024. He had nine touchdowns and also recorded two interceptions.

DiLucia will add depth at quarterback. He was named first-team all-conference three times and twice earned all-state recognition.

Way is the only new signee to join Villanova’s talented running back corps. In his high school career at Lancaster Catholic, he totaled 1,500 yards and 21 touchdowns and earned all-state recognition.

Signees on defense

Villanova’s defensive recruits include linemen Thomas Coates of Urbana High School in Ijamsville, Md., and Jackson Kraemer of Mount Lebanon High School in Pittsburgh; defensive backs Abu Fofana of Conwell-Egan, Luis Martinez of Allentown Central Catholic, Isaiah Selby of Paramus (N.J.) Catholic, and Jordan Taylor of North Point High School in Waldorf, Md.; and linebackers Colin Gurley of Central York High School and Donovan Linthicum of Oakcrest High School.

Gurley, a two-time all-state honoree, registered 100 tackles (26 for loss) and 17½ sacks at Central York. Linthicum earned all-state honors in New Jersey while recording 380 tackles.

Selby helped lead Paramus Catholic to the New Jersey state playoffs as a two-way starter. At defensive back, he totaled 40 tackles and forced two fumbles.

The newly signed players will be part of Villanova’s inaugural campaign in the Patriot League of the FCS as the program changes conferences for the 2026 season.

Villanova will visit Lehigh in the second round of the FCS playoffs on Saturday (noon, ESPN+).

A dominant first half allowed Villanova to conquer Harvard, 52-7, in the first round of the FCS playoffs on Saturday.

No. 6/9 and 12th-seeded Villanova (10-2) stretched its win streak to nine and now has won 23 consecutive home games — the longest active streak in Division I football. No. 15/19 Harvard (9-2), struggling with drops, managed to gather just 31 yards of total offense, while Villanova’s defense forced the Crimson into three consecutive first-half three-and-outs.

Villanova quarterback Pat McQuaide completed 14 of his 22 attempts, throwing for 193 passing yards and three touchdowns, while also scoring one on the ground. McQuaide is averaging 211.3 passing yards per game.

The Wildcats’ running back room has continued to be unstoppable despite being without its star, David Avit, who has missed the last three games with a knee injury.

Isaiah Ragland led Villanova’s rushing attack, totaling a career-high 152 yards and a touchdown. It was Ragland’s second game of his career with triple-digit rushing yards.

“All glory goes to God,” Ragland said. “Without him, I wouldn’t be able to do anything I did. But we take pride in loving our [offensive] line, and this past week, we really took pride in that. We don’t like to be in the media and stuff like that, but we know we get a lot of disrespect, and we took that. We took that to heart as we should.”

Villanova finished with a season-high 512 yards of total offense, rushing for 319.

Fast Villanova start buries Harvard

Villanova won the coin toss and elected to receive. The Wildcats capitalized on the decision, scoring a touchdown on their opening drive off a 45-yard rushing touchdown by Ragland.

On the following Harvard drive, the Crimson marched all the way downfield and were in scoring position. Harvard quarterback Jaden Craig targeted Ryan Osborne in the end zone, and Villanova’s Newton Essiem came down with the ball for an interception.

“I think if you start fast, it’s hard to [stop] a team that’s rolling on both sides of the ball,” Ragland said. “We take so much pride on offense. We trust our defense and our defense trusts us.”

The Wildcats were able to capitalize on the takeaway. McQuaide connected with Lucas Kopecky in the end zone on 4th and 10 for a 30-yard touchdown. On the previous play, McQuaide’s pass landed right in the hands of Harvard’s Austin-Jake Guillory, but it was dropped.

Ja’briel Mace scored a rushing touchdown to cap off Villanova’s first-half scoring. It was the third game of the last four that Mace has scored a rushing touchdown.

Villanova’s defense freezes Harvard

Harvard had no solutions for Villanova’s poised defense. The Crimson were held to a season-low 213 yards of total offense and managed only two red zone trips, while the Wildcats won the turnover battle, 3-0.

Villanova’s defense totaled three sacks and seven tackles for a loss. Shane Hartzell had a team-high seven tackles (four solo) and half a sack. He currently leads the team with 81 total tackles this season.

In the first half, Harvard was held to four first downs, and all of its drives ended in a punt or turnover.

“We knew earlier in the year, the secondary may have lacked little experience because they’re a young group,” said Villanova linebacker Richie Kimmel. “They have a true swagger. They’re a tight-knit group. [The] whole defense, we’re a tight-knit group. Everyone’s doing their 1-of-11 to make sure someone else succeeds. We are doing everything in our power defensively. We take things personally. If I’m being honest, if we have a rushing attack coming in, they’re not going to gain yards on us.”

Kimmel tied a team-high seven total tackles (three solo) and 1.5 tackles for a loss.

Harvard receivers dropped three touchdown passes, along with other wide-open passes. Craig went 9-for-21 (43%) on pass attempts and had 107 yards in the air.

“What I’ll say about [our young secondary] is they don’t lack confidence, but they did lack experience,” coach Mark Ferrante said. “And now they’re getting the experience to hopefully match the confidence. We’re playing much better complementary football. You can see how if something happens good on special teams or on defense or on offense, it sparks the other two areas. And early in the season, we kind of didn’t have that. Now, the three phases are playing together, and that’s exciting to see.”

Up next

With Villanova advancing, it will now travel to face fifth-seeded and No. 3/4 Lehigh (12-0) in the second round next Saturday, with kickoff set for noon (ESPN+). Lehigh earned a bye in the first round of the FCS Playoffs.

In the last meeting, the Wildcats defeated the Mountain Hawks, 38-10, on Sept. 2, 2023, in their season opener. Villanova has not lost to Lehigh in the Ferrante era (6-0) and leads the all-time series, 14-5.

With Villanova without the nation’s leading rebounder, Duke Brennan, on Tuesday night, 7-footer Braden Pierce started in his place in the Wildcats’ 89-75 win over visiting Old Dominion.

The change forced Villanova coach Kevin Willard to play a small lineup more than he would have preferred.

“I mean, I think that’s something that we’re still not very good at,” Willard said. “Because we just haven’t had time to practice. I think the more we practice it, the more we will be comfortable with having five guys out there that can shoot, pass, and dribble.”

Brennan was sidelined with a right ankle sprain he suffered last week in a win over La Salle. The Grand Canyon transfer has averaged a double-double while leading the country with 14.4 rebounds per game.

With Pierce starting, Villanova (5-1) struggled to find a rhythm on either side of the court. Forward Tafara Gapare ended up getting more playing time off the bench, with 31 minutes to Pierce’s 12.

Brennan’s absence was noticeable early in the first half. Villanova gave up a few offensive boards that could have been hauled in.

Villanova tied a season-low with nine offensive rebounds but still won the battle on the boards, 34-29. Entering the game, Villanova had double-digit offensive boards in each of its games, including a season-high 22 against Queens University on Nov. 8.

Beyond the arc, Villanova allowed an Old Dominion team that averages 32.7% on three-pointers to shoot 47.8% (45.3 overall). How does Willard think Villanova should address that?

“Don’t schedule good shooting teams,” he said.

Early shooting woes

Villanova opened the game shooting a sloppy 1-for-7 on three-pointers but spun it around in the tail end of the first half and closed it with marks of 35.7% from beyond the arc and 45.2% from the field. Overall, the Wildcats shot 53.6% from the field, including 38.5% from deep.

Bryce Lindsay knocked down a three-pointer to open the second half. With the help of an Acaden Lewis steal, Tyler Perkins broke away on the next possession and finished it on the other end of the court, forcing a timeout by Old Dominion (3-5).

All told, the Wildcats opened the second half with a 15-3 run.

Perkins scored a season-high 21 points, shooting 8-for-13 from the field, including 3-for-4 on three-pointers.

“Tyler just gives us great energy,” Willard said. “I think that’s something that he’s still trying to figure out, a little bit of what he’s doing and what we need him to do. To start the second half, he gets two big steals, gets a layup, and a good pass. Tyler just gives us energy and some toughness. And I think he’s really starting to figure out, ‘How do I play in this system?’”

Ball screens and movement

Midway through the second half, Willard motioned to forward Matt Hodge to set a pick for Perkins at the top left of the arc in front of Villanova’s bench.

Hodge set the pick. Perkins shifted left, then Hodge drove to the basket while hauling in the pass from Perkins and was met at the rim with a foul, stopping him from capping the pick-and-roll with a dunk.

“I feel like we moved the ball well,” Hodge said. “It allows me to be very versatile.”

Villanova dished out 16 assists and limited its turnovers to seven. It has been a successful early start for a squad with 13 new faces and a starting freshman point guard in Lewis. The team has had at least 15 assists in its last five games.

Lewis, who had 20 points, led Villanova with four assists. He is averaging 5.2 assists on the season.

“Well, he’s super talented,” Willard said. “If you look at college basketball this year, the freshman class is loaded. This is probably one of the best freshman classes, probably about five to 10 years. I mean, the draft can be loaded. He’s going to get better and better every game. He’s getting a little bit more comfortable.”

Up next

Villanova is on five-game winning streak. Next up is a Big 5 clash at home against Temple (4-2) on Monday (6:30 p.m., FS1). The winner claims a spot in the championship game of the Big 5 Classic on Dec. 6 at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Villanova leads the all-time series, 51-43.

Villanova wrapped up its regular season in convincing fashion, dispatching Sacred Heart, 34–10, for its eighth straight win.

Villanova (9-2), which is ranked No. 7 in the Football Championship Subdivision Coaches Poll and No. 9 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25, has won 22 straight home games. The Wildcats sit in second place in the Coastal Athletic Association with a 7-1 record.

Sacred Heart (8-4) played an independent schedule this year, but will join the CAA next season. Villanova will leave the CAA for the Patriot League.

Graduate quarterback Pat McQuaide threw for 216 yards and two touchdowns, one each to sophomore running backs Ja’briel Mace and Isaiah Ragland.

Mace also scored two touchdowns on the ground, rushing for 165 yards on nine carries. Ragland compiled 71 yards on a team-leading 11 carries.

The Wildcats also honored their seniors in the final regular-season home game.

“I’m really proud of our team today,” said coach Mark Ferrante. “We talked this morning in the locker room before we took the field, and you always want to hopefully go out with a win on Senior Day, because the seniors are always going to remember their last home game of the regular season.

“Guys took care of business and we got the victory, and that’s the most important thing.”

Mace leads the way

The Wildcats had a rough start after Sacred Heart forced and recovered a fumble from Mace on just the second play of the game. It was a rare turnover for Villanova, which had conceded just four this season, the fewest in the FCS.

The Pioneers converted the turnover into a 37-yard field goal, while the Wildcats went three-and-out on their next possession.

However, Mace began a monumental first half with an 80-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter.

“We practice ball security, and there’s no reason why I should’ve fumbled the ball,” Mace said. “But [McQuaide] picked me up and said, ‘We’re going to go right back to you,’ and on the next play, I scored. But all the credit goes to the guys up front. They’re amazing.”

To start the second quarter, McQuaide launched a 57-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Chris Colby, bringing Villanova to Sacred Heart’s 19-yard line. Mace delivered once again, taking the ball the rest of the way for a 14-3 lead.

The Wildcats finished the first half with a lengthy drive, covering 80 yards in 14 plays, and ending on a 10-yard touchdown pass from McQuaide to Mace with just 27 seconds left in the second quarter.

Mace finished the first half with 106 rushing yards on just four carries.

Defense delivers late

Three linebackers — redshirt freshman Anthony Hawkins, senior Shane Hartzell, and graduate Richie Kimmel — led the defense with six tackles each. Sacred Heart, ranked fifth nationally in FCS rushing, was limited to just 88 yards on the ground.

After keeping Sacred Heart out of the end zone through three quarters, Villanova allowed the Pioneers to score on a six-yard pass to open the fourth.

With 7 minutes, 37 seconds remaining, McQuaide completed an 11-yard touchdown pass to Ragland to extend the lead to 34-10.

The Pioneers threatened again, completing a 46-yard pass at Villanova’s nine-yard line. But the Wildcats forced a turnover as junior defensive back Jon Wyatt broke up quarterback Jack Snyder’s pass, and graduate defensive back Kaleb Moody intercepted it.

“There is a lot of confidence on this team, but sometimes that can turn into arrogance, and we’ve done a good job of holding that back,” Hartzell said. “As we keep rolling we gain confidence. The amount of energy that can come out in a game, that’s what is going to spark the big plays.”

Playoff potential

The Wildcats will await a FCS playoff bid, which will be announced at the Selection Show at noon on Sunday (ESPNU).