JMU's Johnson, Villanova's Rhyne Headline 2021 CAA Football All-Conference Awards
Rob Washburn
RICHMOND, Va. (November 23, 2021) – CAA Football announced its 2021 post-season award winners on Tuesday, headlined by James Madison senior quarterback
Cole Johnson being selected as the league’s Offensive Player of the Year and Villanova graduate student linebacker
Forrest Rhyne receiving the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award.
Other major award recipients included Villanova’s
Mark Ferrante as CAA Coach of the Year, James Madison senior kicker
Ethan Ratke as Special Teams Player of the Year, William & Mary freshman quarterback
Darius Wilson as Offensive Rookie of the Year and New Hampshire freshman defensive end
Josiah Silver as Defensive Rookie of the Year. Elon senior quarterback
Davis Cheek was honored with the Chuck Boone Leadership and Excellence Award. CAA Football’s all-conference awards are voted on by the league’s head coaches.
Johnson completed 233-of-342 passes for 2,953 yards and a school-record 32 touchdowns with only two interceptions. He also added 184 yards and 5 TD’s on the ground. Johnson ranks third in the FCS in pass efficiency, fourth in completion percentage, sixth in passing touchdowns and 15
th in both passing offense and total offense. A finalist for the Walter Payton Award as the nation’s top offensive player, Johnson is the fourth JMU quarterback since 2015 to be chosen as the CAA Offensive Player of the Year.
Rhyne led Villanova and ranked second in the CAA with 110 total tackles, which included double-digit stops in six games. He also contributed 5.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. Rhyne spearheaded a Wildcats’ defense that ranks in the top 10 of the FCS in fewest yards (254.9 ypg) and points allowed (15.1 ppg). A finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award as the nation’s top defensive player, Rhyne is just the second Villanova player in the past 28 years to be named CAA Defensive Player of the Year.
Ferrante guided Villanova to a 9-2 overall record and a share of its first CAA Football title since 2012 with a 7-1 league mark. The Wildcats are ranked in the top seven nationally in both FCS Top 25 polls and received the #5 overall seed and a first-round bye in the FCS playoffs. A finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award as the nation’s top coach, Ferrante is Villanova’s first CAA Coach of the Year since 2012.
Ratke becomes just the second player to receive the Special Teams Player of the Year award in back-to-back seasons. He was 28-of-31 on field goals, breaking his own CAA single-season record and leading the nation in field goals. The senior set a new CAA single-game mark by making six field goals against William & Mary on November 13. Ratke became the NCAA’s all-time leader in career field goals (100) and points by a kicker (525), and he ranks second in career points by any player in CAA history.
Wilson completed 106-of-177 passes for 1,205 yards and six touchdowns, and also ran for 386 yards and four scores in nine games. The true freshman quarterback set season-highs for passing (198) and rushing (95) yards and accounted for 3 TD’s in a win at Elon on September 25. Wilson is the first Tribe player to be named Offensive Rookie of the Year since 2008.
Silver led the CAA and ranked sixth in the FCS with 20.5 tackles for loss this season and also topped the conference and was sixth in the FCS with 12.5 sacks. The Wildcats’ defensive end recorded a team-best 80 total tackles and forced six fumbles, which tied for second nationally. A finalist for the Jerry Rice Award as the nation’s top freshman player, Silver is UNH’s first Defensive Rookie of the Year since 2016.
Cheek is the recipient of the prestigious Chuck Boone Leadership and Excellence Award, an honor that embodies the highest standards of leadership, integrity, teamwork and sportsmanship in academics and athletics. The Elon quarterback earned all-conference honors after completing 253-of-397 passes for 2,924 yards and 17 touchdowns this season. The Phoenix team captain was a semifinalist for the prestigious Campbell Trophy, which is awarded to the top football scholar-athlete in the nation. Cheek, who was the CAA Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2020, graduated cum laude with a degree in strategic communications and is working towards his MBA.
JMU had a league-high 14 players receive all-conference honors, while Delaware and Villanova each had 13 players recognized.
2021 CAA Football First Team Offense
|
| Player, School |
Pos. |
Class |
Hometown |
| Cole Johnson, James Madison |
QB |
Sr. |
Virginia Beach, Va. |
| Ty Son Lawton, Stony Brook |
RB |
Jr. |
Staten Island, N.Y. |
| Karl Mofor, UAlbany |
RB |
Sr. |
Greenbelt, Md. |
| Joe Kenny, Rhode Island |
FB/HB |
Sr. |
Wayne, N.J. |
| Jackson Parham, Elon |
WR |
Jr. |
Hillsborough, N.J. |
| Kris Thornton, James Madison |
WR |
Jr. |
Manassas, Va. |
| Antwane Wells, Jr., James Madison |
WR |
Fr. |
Richmond, Va. |
| Caleb Warren, Rhode Island |
TE |
Jr. |
Brandon, Fla. |
| Michael Corbi, Villanova |
OL |
Sr. |
Arnold, Md. |
| Nick Kidwell, James Madison |
OL |
So. |
Knoxville, Md. |
| David Kroll, Delaware |
OL |
Gr. |
Reston, Va. |
| Clayton McConnell, Richmond |
OL |
Sr. |
Foley, Ala. |
| Andrew Trainer, William & Mary |
OL |
Sr. |
Alexandria, Va. |
| Ethan Ratke, James Madison |
PK |
Sr. |
Mechanicsville, Va. |
| Aaron Dykes, Richmond |
KR |
Jr. |
Knoxville, Tenn. |
| Coby Tippett, Rhode Island |
PR |
Sr. |
Sharon, Mass. |
2021 CAA Football First Team Defense
|
| Player, School |
Pos. |
Class |
Hometown |
| Bryce Carter, James Madison |
DL |
Sr. |
Steelton, Pa. |
| Nate Lynn, William & Mary |
DL |
Jr. |
Charlotte, N.C. |
| Josiah Silver, New Hampshire |
DL |
Fr. |
Hampton, Va. |
| Kobie Turner, Richmond |
DL |
Sr. |
Clifton, Va. |
| Jared Verse, UAlbany |
DL |
Fr. |
Berwick, Pa. |
| Tyler Dressler, Richmond |
LB |
Gr. |
Covington, Va. |
| Forrest Rhyne, Villanova |
LB |
Gr. |
Waynesboro, Pa. |
| Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey, JMU |
LB |
Jr. |
Norfolk, Va. |
| Tristan Wheeler, Richmond |
LB |
So. |
Bethlehem, Pa. |
| Christian Benford, Villanova |
CB |
Sr. |
Randallstown, Md. |
| Greg Ross, James Madison |
CB |
Sr. |
Temple Hills, Md. |
| Cole Coleman, Elon |
S |
Jr. |
Raleigh, N.C. |
| Kedrick Whitehead, Delaware |
S |
Sr. |
Middletown, Del. |
| Tyler Pastula, Delaware |
P |
So. |
Easton, Pa. |
| Kyle Davis, James Madison |
SPEC |
Jr. |
Waxhaw, N.C. |
| 2021 Offensive Player of the Year: Cole Johnson, James Madison |
| 2021 Defensive Player of the Year: Forrest Rhyne, Villanova |
| 2021 Coach of the Year: Mark Ferrante, Villanova |
| 2021 Special Teams Player of the Year: Ethan Ratke, James Madison |
| 2021 Offensive Rookie of the Year: Darius Wilson, William & Mary |
| 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year: Josiah Silver, New Hampshire |
2021 Chuck Boone Leadership and Excellence Award: Davis Cheek, Elon
|
2021 CAA Football Second Team Offense
|
| Player, School |
Pos. |
Class |
Hometown |
| Davis Cheek, Elon |
QB |
Sr. |
Matthews, N.C. |
| Justin Covington, Villanova |
RB |
Gr. |
Bronx, N.Y. |
| Dejoun Lee, Delaware |
RB |
Gr. |
Springfield, Va. |
| Luke Hamilton, Towson |
FB/HB |
Jr. |
Cumberland, Md. |
| Andre Miller, Maine |
WR |
Gr. |
Old Town, Maine |
| Thyrick Pitts, Delaware |
WR |
Gr. |
Manassas, Va. |
| Rayjoun Pringle, Villanova |
WR |
Jr. |
Dumfries, Va. |
| Todd Summers, Villanova |
TE |
Sr. |
Murrysville, Pa. |
| Nick Correia, Rhode Island |
OL |
So. |
Nantucket, Mass. |
| Colin Gamroth, Villanova |
OL |
Sr. |
Mercer Island, Wash. |
| Mike Gerace, Maine |
OL |
Sr. |
Bel Air, Md. |
| Aaron Grzymkowski, Towson |
OL |
Gr. |
Stevensville, Md. |
| Kyle Nunez, Stony Brook |
OL |
Sr. |
East Islip, N.Y. |
| Cole Bunce, Villanova |
PK |
Gr. |
San Jose, Calif. |
| Devin Young, Maine |
KR |
Sr. |
Binghamton, N.Y. |
| Jourdan Townsend, Delaware |
PR |
Jr. |
Farrell, Pa. |
2021 CAA Football Second Team Defense
|
| Player, School |
Pos. |
Class |
Hometown |
| Malik Fisher, Villanova |
DL |
Gr. |
New York, N.Y. |
| Mike Greene, James Madison |
DL |
Sr. |
Richmond, Va. |
| Darius Reynolds, Richmond |
DL |
Gr. |
Yorktown, Va. |
| Isaac Ukwu, James Madison |
DL |
Jr. |
Upper Marlboro, Md. |
| Johnny Buchanan, Delaware |
LB |
Sr. |
Brick, N.J. |
| Tyler King, Stony Brook |
LB |
Fr. |
Wexford, Pa. |
| L.B. Mack III, Rhode Island |
LB |
Sr. |
Spring Valley, N.Y. |
| Ray Miller, Maine |
LB |
Gr. |
Spartanburg, S.C. |
| Nijuel Hill, Delaware |
CB |
Sr. |
Baltimore, Md. |
| Jordan Jones, Rhode Island |
CB |
Jr. |
Brooklyn, N.Y. |
| SJ Brown, Towson |
S |
Sr. |
Plumas Lake, Calif. |
| Noah Plack, Delaware |
S |
Jr. |
Bridgeville, Pa. |
| Shane McDonough, Towson |
P |
Sr. |
Clearwater, Fla. |
| Bryce Colee, Maine |
SPEC |
Gr. |
Tampa, Fla. |
2021 CAA Football Third Team Offense
|
| Player, School |
Pos. |
Class |
Hometown |
| Daniel Smith, Villanova |
QB |
Gr. |
Leesburg, Va. |
| Jerry Howard, Jr., Towson |
RB |
Gr. |
Rock Hill, S.C. |
| Bronson Yoder, William & Mary |
RB |
Jr. |
Nappanee, Ind. |
| Steve Petrick, Maine |
FB/HB |
Gr. |
North Huntingdon, Pa. |
| Jaaron Hayek, Villanova |
WR |
Jr. |
Wayne, N.J. |
| Caleb Smith, Towson |
WR |
Gr. |
Albany, N.Y. |
| Devin Young, Maine |
WR |
Sr. |
Binghamton, N.Y. |
| Shawn Bowman, Maine |
TE |
Jr. |
Bear, Del. |
| PJ Barr, Maine |
OL |
Gr. |
North Brunswick, N.J. |
| Tim Coleman, Richmond |
OL |
Gr. |
Stone Mountain, Ga. |
| Patrick Flynn, New Hampshire |
OL |
Jr. |
Hanover, Mass. |
| Evan Lovell, Rhode Island |
OL |
So. |
Thomaston, Conn. |
| Colby Sorsdal, William & Mary |
OL |
Sr. |
Pittsburgh, Pa. |
| Ryan Coe, Delaware |
PK |
Jr. |
McDonald, Pa. |
| Solomon Vanhorse, James Madison |
KR |
So. |
Alpharetta, Ga. |
| D’Ago Hunter, Towson |
PR |
Jr. |
Culpeper, Va. |
2021 CAA Football Third Team Defense
|
| Player, School |
Pos. |
Class |
Hometown |
| Gunner Gibson, New Hampshire |
DL |
Jr. |
Hailey, Idaho |
| Artis Hemmingway, Delaware |
DL |
Sr. |
Hillside, N.J. |
| Will Kiely, William & Mary |
DL |
Sr. |
Downingtown, Pa. |
| Chase McGowan, Delaware |
DL |
Jr. |
Stafford, Va. |
| Jackson Ambush, UAlbany |
LB |
Fr. |
New Market, Md. |
| Kelvin Azanama, James Madison |
LB |
Sr. |
Chesterfield, Va. |
| Amin Black, Villanova |
LB |
Sr. |
Philadelphia, Pa. |
| Christian Dixon, Towson |
LB |
Sr. |
Charlotte, N.C. |
| Colby Reeder, Delaware |
LB |
Sr. |
Hockessin, Del. |
| Tre’Von Jones, Elon |
CB |
So. |
Warrenton, N.C. |
| Ryan Poole, William & Mary |
CB |
Jr. |
Annapolis, Md. |
| Evan Horn, New Hampshire |
S |
Sr. |
Lebanon, Pa. |
| Coby Tippett, Rhode Island |
S |
Sr. |
Sharon, Mass. |
| Harry O’Kelly, James Madison |
P |
Sr. |
Wynnum, Queensland, Australia |
| TD Ayo-Durojaiye, Villanova |
SPEC |
Jr. |
Damascus, Md. |