CAA Football Weekly Awards - Oct. 19
Rob Washburn
RICHMOND, Va. (October 19, 2026) – CAA Football has announced its weekly award winners for Week 7 of the 2026 season. Rhode Island junior quarterback Alex McClelland was chosen as the Offensive Player of the Week while UAlbany junior linebacker Victor Holt and Bryant junior linebacker Drake Lusk shared Defensive Player of the Week accolades. Monmouth freshman linebacker Jaylen Carter was selected as the Special Teams Player of the Week and Monmouth redshirt freshman running back Kenny Smith, Jr. earned Rookie of the Week honors.
CAA Football Offensive Player of the Week
Alex McClelland, Jr., QB, Rhode Island (Barrington, R.I./Barrington)
McClelland accounted for a career-high 377 yards of total offense and four touchdowns in Rhode Island’s 41-23 victory at #23 Yale. The junior was 11-of-16 passing for a career-best 285 yards and 4 TD’s and ran for a team-high 92 yards on 13 carries. Making his second career start, he guided URI to its first win over a ranked foe since 2024.
CAA Football Co-Defensive Player of the Week
Victor Holt, Jr., LB, UAlbany (Olyphant, Pa./Mid Valley)
Holt contributed a season-high 11 tackles, a TFL, a half-sack and two interceptions in UAlbany’s 48-31 win at Stony Brook. The junior picked off a pass late in the second quarter that led to a touchdown before intercepting a pass at the goal line with 5:17 to play that helped seal the victory. The interceptions were his first of the season.
CAA Football Co-Defensive Player of the Week
Drake Lusk, Jr., LB, Bryant (St. Augustine, Fla./St. Augustine)
Lusk tallied a career-high 12 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries in Bryant’s 17-14 win at Maine. The linebacker recovered a second-quarter fumble that led to a Bulldogs touchdown and his strip sack in the third quarter at the Maine 19 set up a field goal that proved to be the difference in the game.
CAA Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Jaylen Carter, Fr., LB, Monmouth (Stafford, Va./Colonial Forge)
Carter recorded Monmouth’s first blocked punt since 2021 in the Hawks’ 42-21 victory at UNH. The linebacker got his hands on a first-quarter punt that set up a Monmouth touchdown for a 14-0 advantage that they would maintain for the rest of the game.
CAA Football Rookie of the Week
Kenny Smith, Jr., R-Fr., RB, Monmouth (Sicklerville, N.J./Glassboro)
Smith, Jr. rushed for a career-high 175 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries as Monmouth earned a 42-21 road win at UNH. The freshman had a 6-yard scoring run in the first quarter and added a 27-yard TD burst in the third quarter as the Hawks piled up a season-best 326 yards on the ground. Smith also had a 14-yard reception.