Richmond Picked To Win CAA Football Title
Rob Washburn
PRESEASON ALL-CAA VIDEO - OFFENSE
PRESEASON ALL-CAA VIDEO - DEFENSE
BALTIMORE, Md. (July 26, 2016) – Richmond, which returns 19 starters from last year’s 10-4 squad that advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA FCS playoffs, was the overwhelming choice to capture the CAA Football championship in 2016 according to a vote of the league’s head coaches and media relations directors. The announcement was made on Tuesday morning as the conference conducted its annual Media Day from M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
William & Mary and James Madison, which shared the 2015 CAA Football championship with the Spiders, were chosen second and third, respectively. Villanova was selected fourth, followed closely by New Hampshire, Towson and Delaware. Rounding out the preseason poll were Stony Brook, Maine, Elon, UAlbany and Rhode Island.
Richmond welcomes back eight starters on each side of the ball. Offensively, junior quarterback Kyle Lauletta threw for 3,598 yards and 19 TD’s in his first year as a starter and earned second-team All-CAA honors. Senior wide receiver Brian Brown topped the conference with 76 catches for a career-high 1,450 yards and 6 TD’s to garner All-America accolades. The Spiders’ defense is headlined by senior All-America safety David Jones, who recorded a career-high 97 tackles and tied a school record with nine interceptions a year ago, and senior linebacker Omar Howard, who made a league-high 136 tackles and added 5.5 sacks to claim a spot on the All-CAA first team.
William & Mary has 16 starters back from last year’s 9-4 team that advanced to the second round of the FCS playoffs. Leading the Tribe offensively are senior All-CAA running back Kendell Anderson, who rushed for 1,418 yards and 16 TD’s a year ago, senior quarterback Steve Cluley, who passed for 2,768 yards and 16 TD’s, and junior wide receiver DeVonte Dedmon, who made 51 catches for 588 yards and 8 TD’s and was also one of the league top kick returners. On defense, senior cornerback Trey Reed (59 tackles, 3 int.) was a second-team All-CAA pick and senior defensive end Peyton Gryder registered a team-high 10 tackles for loss and five sacks.
James Madison begins its first season under head coach Mike Houston, but there is plenty of experience with 17 starters returning from a 9-3 team. Offensively, the Dukes feature a pair of talented running backs in junior Cardon Johnson (1,037 yards, 10 TD’s) and senior Khalid Abdullah (975 yards, 13 TD’s). Senior Brandon Ravenel (57 rec., 683 yds., 4 TD’s) received first-team All-CAA honors at wide receiver a year ago. JMU’s defense includes three players who were all-conference selections in 2015 – junior defensive lineman Andrew Ankrah (56 tackles, 11 TFL, 10.5 sacks), senior cornerback Taylor Reynolds (46 tackles, 3 int.) and senior safety Raven Greene (88 tackles, 2 int.).
Villanova plays its 32
nd and final season under legendary head coach Andy Talley. The Wildcats have 13 starters back from last year’s 6-5 team, including senior All-CAA defensive lineman Tanoh Kpassagnon. New Hampshire looks to build on its streak of 12 consecutive FCS playoff appearances with 11 returning starters. The Wildcats feature All-America defensive back Casey DeAndrade. Towson, which won five of its final six games in 2015, has 19 starters returning. The Tigers’ All-CAA running back Darius Victor piled up 1,021 yards and 15 TD’s last season.
CAA Football also announced its preseason all-conference team. Richmond had a league-high seven players honored, including Lauletta as the preseason Offensive Player of the Year and Jones as the preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
2016 CAA FOOTBALL PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
(Selected by a vote of Head Coaches and Media Relations Directors)
OFFENSE
Name, School Cl. Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown/High School
Kyle Lauletta, Richmond Jr. QB 6-3 208 Exton, Pa./Downingtown East
Kendell Anderson, William & Mary Sr. RB 5-9 200 Centreville, Va./Westfield
Darius Victor, Towson Sr. RB 5-8 227 Hyattsville, Md./Northwestern
James Pavik, Richmond Sr. FB 6-1 227 Mathews, Va./Mathews
Ray Bolden, Stony Brook Jr. WR 5-9 165 Euless, Texas/Trinity
Brian Brown, Richmond Sr. WR 6-1 198 Richmond, Va./Hermitage
Brandon Ravenel, James Madison Sr. WR 6-0 190 Stafford, Va./North Stafford
Andrew Caskin, William & Mary Jr. TE 6-5 240 Rockville, Md./Georgetown Prep
Connor Bozick, Delaware Sr. OL 6-5 315 Severn, Md./DeMatha Catholic
Thomas Evans, Richmond Sr. OL 6-3 316 Franklin, N.C./Franklin
Mitchell Kirsch, James Madison Sr. OL 6-6 300 Washington, D.C./St. John’s College
Timon Parris, Stony Brook Jr. OL 6-5 310 Floral Park, N.Y./Floral Park
Jerry Ugokwe, William & Mary Sr. OL 6-8 305 Bowie, Md./Georgetown Prep
Nicholas Vergos, Richmond Sr. OL 6-3 283 Memphis, Tenn./Memphis Univ. School
DEFENSE
Name, School Cl. Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown/High School
Andrew Ankrah, James Madison Jr. DL 6-4 234 Gaithersburg, Md./Quince Orchard
Tanoh Kpassagnon, Villanova Sr. DL 6-7 275 Ambler, Pa./Wissahickon
Pat Ricard, Maine Sr. DL 6-2 285 Spencer, Mass./David Prouty
Aaron Thompson, Stony Brook Sr. DL 6-3 260 Deer Park, N.Y./Deer Park
Charles Bell, Delaware Jr. LB 6-1 240 Conestoga, Pa./Penn Manor
Omar Howard, Richmond Sr. LB 6-0 231 Midlothian, Va./Midlothian
Adam Parker, Rhode Island Sr. LB 5-11 239 Yonkers, N.Y./Taft
Raven Greene, James Madison Sr. S 5-11 205 Virginia Beach, Va./First Colonial
David Jones, Richmond Sr. S 6-1 187 St. Petersburg, Fla./St. Petersburg
Casey DeAndrade, New Hampshire Sr. CB 5-11 212 East Bridgewater, Mass./East Bridgewater
Taylor Reynolds, James Madison Sr. CB 6-0 195 Newark, Del./Newark
SPECIAL TEAMS
Name, School Cl. Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown/High School
Harold Cooper, Rhode Island Jr. KR 5-9 187 New Haven, Conn./Hillhouse
Nick Dorka, William & Mary Jr. PK 6-0 180 Vienna, Va./James Madison
Hunter Windmuller, William & Mary Sr. P 6-4 185 Oakton, Va./Flint Hill
CAA FOOTBALL PRESEASON OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Kyle Lauletta, QB, Richmond
CAA FOOTBALL PRESEASON DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: David Jones, S, Richmond
2016 CAA FOOTBALL PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
(Selected by a vote of Head Coaches and Media Relations Directors)
- Richmond (19 first-place votes) 283
- William & Mary (1 first-place vote) 250
- James Madison 209
- Villanova 197
- New Hampshire (3 first-place votes)186
- Towson 180
- Delaware 171
- Stony Brook 111
- Maine (1 first-place vote) 107
- Elon 72
- UAlbany 69
- Rhode Island 37