Draft Scout Villanova Player News, College Football: Villanova

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Draft Scout College Football Player News: Villanova

Previous 15 Notes

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07/29/20 - Daniel Smith, rSr/2022, Villanova + More +

2020 PHIL STEELE/DRAFTSCOUT CAA PRESEASON OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: QB Dan Smith, Villanova, Sr.,...2019 Pre-Playoffs...The transfer from Campbell has thrown for 2,991 yards and 31 touchdowns while also running for 367 yards and a team-high 11 rushing touchdowns. Smith also has been credited with a 68-yard touchdown reception. Smith ranks second in the nation with the 258 points he is responsible for. He is also sixth in passing touchdowns (31), 14th in passing efficiency (150.4), 17th in passing yards and 19th in both total offense per game (279.8) and yards per completion (13.8). - Villanova Football

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QB Daniel Smith, Villanova
News Source: Villanova Football
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07/27/20 - Malik Fisher, rSr/2022, Villanova + More +

2020 PHIL STEELE/DRAFTSCOUT PRESEASON ALL-FCS SECOND TEAM: DL Malik Fisher, Villanova, Sr.,...Fisher has been a force at defensive end where he has made 27 total tackles (14 solo, 13 assisted) in 2019, including six sacks. He began the year by recording a sack in four straight games and having at least half a sack in six of the first seven contests. - Villanova Football

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DE Malik Fisher, Villanova
News Source: Villanova Football
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07/27/20 - Daniel Smith, rSr/2022, Villanova + More +

2020 PHIL STEELE/DRAFTSCOUT PRESEASON ALL-FCS THIRD TEAM: QB Dan Smith, Villanova, Sr.,...Transfer from Campbell University...Set school career records for total offense, rushing touchdowns, passing yards and passing touchdowns at Campbell University...Tallied 5,411 yards of total offense, 25 rushing touchdowns, 3,471 passing yards and 31 passing touchdowns...Completed 262 passes on 469 attempts (55.9%)...Ranks second on Campbell's all-time career rushing list with 1,940 yards...Recorded the 1,940 yards on 241 attempts (8.0 yards per carry). - Villanova Football

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QB Daniel Smith, Villanova
News Source: Villanova Football
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07/27/20 - Forrest Rhyne, rSr/2022, Villanova + More +

2020 PHIL STEELE/DRAFTSCOUT PRESEASON ALL-FCS SECOND TEAM: LB Forrest Rhyne, Villanova, Sr.,...Rhyne is another tri-captain for the Wildcats and has had a breakout campaign in his first year as a starter at linebacker in 2019. He leads the team and ranks fifth in the CAA with 105 tackles (50 solo, 55 assisted) on the season, including a team-high 6.5 sacks. - Villanova Football

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ILB Forrest Rhyne, Villanova
News Source: Villanova Football
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07/23/20 - Matt Mercurio, rSr/2024, Villanova + More +

2020 PRESEASON LOU GROZA COLLEGIATE PLACE-KICKER AWARD WATCH LIST: Matt Mercurio, San Jose State,...Mercurio became the first kicker in San Jose State history to convert four field goals in three different games in the same season. All three of them came during a stretch in which he made 16 consecutive attempts, the third-longest streak in FBS last year. Two of them keyed victories, including a pivotal 14-point performance on the road in a 34-29 win over Army. - Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award

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K Matt Mercurio, Villanova
News Source: Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award
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12/09/19 - Matt Mercurio, rSr/2024, Villanova + More +

2019 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST HONORABLE MENTION (COACHES): Matt Mercurio, Fr., PK,...Mercurio led the Spartans in scoring with 97 points, was tied for 10th nationally in field made per game converting 20 out of 24 attempts, and was tied for 24th in the FBS for field goal percentage at the end of the regular season (83.3 percent). - San Jose State Football

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K Matt Mercurio, Villanova
News Source: San Jose State Football
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11/29/19 - Forrest Rhyne, rSr/2022, Villanova + More +

2019 ALL-COLONIAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION FIRST TEAM (COACHES): Forrest Rhyne, Villanova, LB, Jr., Waynesboro, Pa.,...Rhyne is another tri-captain for the Wildcats this season and has had a breakout campaign in his first year as a starter at linebacker. He leads the team and ranks fifth in the CAA with 105 tackles (50 solo, 55 assisted) on the season, including a team-high 6.5 sacks. Rhyne is second on the squad with 13.5 tackles for loss and has recorded six double-digit tackle games on the year. He had a career-high 15 total stops in a win at William & Mary on October 5 and was named the CAA Co-Defensive Player of the Week for that performance. He is the team's first player to top 100 tackles since Ed Shockley in 2017. - Villanova Football

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ILB Forrest Rhyne, Villanova
News Source: Villanova Football
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11/29/19 - Nathan Fondacaro, rSr/2023, Villanova + More +

2019 ALL-COLONIAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION FIRST TEAM (COACHES): Nate Fondacaro, Villanova, P, So., Sewell, N.J.,...Fondacaro has been the best punter in the CAA this season and leads the league with an average of 44.5 yards per punt. He has recorded 40 punts on the year, including eight of 50 yards or longer and 13 which were downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line. His efforts on the season include a career-long 75-yard punt at Bucknell on September 14. His average of 44.5 yards per punt would rank sixth in the FCS if Fondacaro had enough attempts to qualify (the minimum is 3.6 attempts per team game to appear in the national stats). Fondacaro has also kicked off 73 times for an average of 58.5 yards. - Villanova Football

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K Nathan Fondacaro, Villanova
News Source: Villanova Football
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11/29/19 - Justin Covington, rSr/2022, Villanova + More +

2019 ALL-COLONIAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION THIRD TEAM (COACHES): Justin Covington, Villanova, RB, Jr., Bronx, N.Y.,...Covington was enjoying a dominant season as Villanova's top running back when we sustained a season-ending injury in the first half of the William & Mary game on October 5. At the time of the injury, Covington was leading the FCS in rushing with 727 yards. He had topped the 100-yard mark in five straight games to open the year while averaging 8.1 yards per carry and 121.2 yards per game. Covington's performance was a key part of the Wildcats racing out of the gates with a 6-0 record, as Villanova surged to a top-five national ranking after being unranked in both polls to open the year. Despite having missed the past 6.5 games, Covington still ranks fifth in the CAA with his 727 rushing yards. - Villanova Football

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RB Justin Covington, Villanova
News Source: Villanova Football
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11/29/19 - Daniel Smith, rSr/2022, Villanova + More +

2019 ALL-COLONIAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION THIRD TEAM (COACHES): Daniel Smith, Villanova, QB, Jr., Leesburg, Va.,...Smith is having a sensational 2019 campaign in his first year at Villanova. The transfer from Campbell has thrown for 2,991 yards and 31 touchdowns while also running for 367 yards and a team-high 11 rushing touchdowns. Smith also has been credited with a 68-yard touchdown reception. He needs just nine more passing yards to record the seventh 3,000-yard passing season in school history, while his 3,358 yards of total offense are the fifth-most in a single season in school history. Smith ranks second in the nation with the 258 points he is responsible for. He is also sixth in passing touchdowns (31), 14th in passing efficiency (150.4), 17th in passing yards and 19th in both total offense per game (279.8) and yards per completion (13.8). - Villanova Football

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QB Daniel Smith, Villanova
News Source: Villanova Football
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11/29/19 - Drew Wiley, rSr/2020, Villanova + More +

2019 ALL-COLONIAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION THIRD TEAM (COACHES): Drew Wiley, Villanova, LB, Sr., Pennington, N.J.,...Wiley has been playing some of his best football of the season recently. He has recorded at least five tackles in each of the last eight games he has played in and has been credited with at least a partial sack in six of his last seven contests. For the season, Wiley has recorded 57 total tackles (36 solo, 21 assisted), a team-best 15.0 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, two interceptions and six pass breakups. He had a career-high four tackles for loss against Stony Brook on October 26, followed up that performance with six total tackles at New Hampshire and then had 3.5 tackles for loss in a win over Richmond on November 9. The latter performance earned him CAA Defensive Player of the Week honors. - Villanova Football

rSr/2020

OLB Drew Wiley, Villanova
News Source: Villanova Football
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11/29/19 - Malik Fisher, rSr/2022, Villanova + More +

2019 ALL-COLONIAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION THIRD TEAM (COACHES): Malik Fisher, Villanova, DL, Jr., New York, N.Y.,...Fisher has been a force at defensive end where he has made 27 total tackles (14 solo, 13 assisted) for the year, including six sacks. He began the year by recording a sack in four straight games and having at least half a sack in six of the first seven contests. Fisher tallied five total stops to go along with 1.5 sacks and two quarterback hurries in a 52-45 win over Towson which helped put the Wildcats on the national radar. In his third year as a starter on the defensive line, Fisher has played in 34 career games and has tallied 60 total tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, 14.0 sacks, five pass breakups, five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and one blocked kick. - Villanova Football

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DE Malik Fisher, Villanova
News Source: Villanova Football
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11/29/19 - Colin Gamroth, rSr/2023, Villanova + More +

2019 ALL-COLONIAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION THIRD TEAM (COACHES): Colin Gamroth, Villanova, OL, Jr., Mercer Island, Wash.,...Paul Grattan and Colin Gamroth have been mainstays on a Villanova offensive line which has been one of the Wildcats biggest team strengths. The line has given up just 12 quarterback sacks for a total loss of 84 yards all season, an average of one sack allowed per game. That ranks Villanova first in the CAA and seventh nationally in fewest sacks allowed. Villanova went three straight games earlier this year against Towson, Maine and William & Mary in which it did not allow a single sack. It was the first time that had happened since at least 2001 based on available data following the three-game stretch. The Wildcats offense has put up at least 20 points in all 12 games on the year, a feat not accomplished by Villanova since 1997. The play of the offensive line has enabled the Wildcats to average 192.1 rushing yards per game and top the 200-yard mark seven times in 12 contests. - Villanova Football

rSr/2023

C Colin Gamroth, Villanova
News Source: Villanova Football
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11/24/19 - Daniel Smith, rSr/2022, Villanova + More +

One day after closing out the regular season with a sensational "Battle of the Blue" victory, the celebration continued for Villanova (9-3) on Sunday afternoon when the selections for the Division I Football Championship were announced live on ESPNU. For the 13th time since becoming an FCS member in 1985, the Wildcats are headed to the playoffs and will travel for a first round game at Southeastern Louisiana (7-4) this coming Saturday, November 30 at 4 p.m. Eastern time. This is the first playoff berth since 2016 for Villanova, which was picked to finish ninth in CAA Football in the league's preseason poll but instead surged to a top-five national ranking while sprinting out of the gates with six straight wins.

The final regular season national rankings which were released on Sunday morning ahead of the playoff selection show has the Wildcats at No. 8. Villanova tied for third in the regular season CAA standings and was one of three teams from the league to make the 24-team playoff field. Wildcats head coach Mark Ferrante, who was part of all 12 of the team's previous playoff appearances during his years as an assistant coach, is now taking Villanova back to the postseason for the first time in his three years as head coach. He leads a team which earned a top-10 national ranking this year for the seventh straight season and features dynamic playmakers on both sides of the ball. - Villanova Football

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QB Daniel Smith, Villanova
News Source: Villanova Football
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11/23/19 - Daniel Smith, rSr/2022, Villanova + More +

Daniel Smith threw four of his five touchdown passes to Changa Hodge and ran for a sixth score as Villanova crushed Delaware 55-33 in the annual rivalry game Saturday afternoon. Smith completed 17 of 24 passes for 378 yards. Hodge had eight catches for 236 yards to become the first Villanova player with more than 200 receiving yards since Brian Finneran in 1996 against Rhode Island.

Smith guided a seven-play, 67-yard opening drive that he capped with a 3-yard run and followed it up by hitting Zac Kerxton from 33-yards out. Will Knight ran 68 yards for a touchdown to get the Blue Hens on the board, but Smith came right back, hitting Hodge from 16-yards out to make it 20-7 after one. Smith found Hodge with an 82-yard touchdown in the second quarter and added touchdowns of 43 and 37 yards in the third. Pat Kehoe was 29 of 49 for 336 yards and two touchdowns for Delaware. Delaware coach Danny Rocco now is 0-3 against Villanova. - AP College Football

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