< Previous2023 VillanoVa Football Gameday AssistAnt CoAChes www.villAnovA.Com 21 assistant Coaches Chris Boden oFFEnSiVE CooRDinatoR/ QUaRtERbaCKS CoaCH Chris Boden is in his fifth season as the of- fensive Coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the wild- cats in 2023. the for- mer villanova stand- out is the program’s all-time career pass- ing leader and returned to his alma mater starting with the 2019 season. Boden recruits the state of Florida along with northern new Jersey, including Bergen, essex, hudson, hunterdon, morris, Passaic, somerset, sussex, Union and warren Counties. his local recruiting territory consists of Abington, Archbishop wood, Bensalem, Bishop mcDevitt, Bristol, Cheltenham, Conwell- egan, Council Rock north, Council Rock south, harry s. truman, Jenkintown, lower moreland, morrisville, neshaminy, Pennsbury, Upper moreland and william tennent high schools. since joining the wildcats staff, Boden has directed one of the top offenses in the FCs. villanova has scored at least 20 points in all but seven games played over the past four seasons and averaged better than 30 points per contest during both the 2019 and 2021 campaigns. Boden helped the wildcats averaged 30.1 points per game and 380.0 yards of total offense per contest in 2021, while his 2019 offensive unit amassed 37.3 points per game and ranked eighth nationally in scoring. last year’s offensive unit averaged 26.3 points per contest. villanova ranked second in CAA Football in both scoring offense and total offense in 2021 with quarterback Daniel smith once again leading the way. smith was an All-CAA selection for the second time during his wildcats career and was a dual- threat quarterback, ranking second in the league in passing touchdowns and third in rushing touchdowns. his top targets in the passing game were Rayjoun Pringle and Jaaron hayek, with Pringle ranking third in the conference in receiving yards and hayek third in receiving touchdowns. Both players, along with tight end todd summers, joined smith in earning All- CAA recognition. villanova has earned a total of 16 CAA Football All-Conference honors since Boden joined the staff. smith was one of the top storylines for the wildcats in 2019 when he had one of the best passing seasons in villanova history, throwing for 3,274 yards with 35 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions. his passing yards and his 3,731 yards of total offense each ranked third in a single season in school history and smith also led the team with 12 rushing touchdowns and 13 total touchdowns scored. he led the nation in points responsible for and was in the national conversation among the best FCs quarterbacks. smith was named to the watch list for the walter Payton Award entering his final collegiate season in 2021. Boden returned to his alma mater after serving as the head coach of AsA College miami where he led his teams to a 15-10 record from the 2016-18 seasons. that record included a 7-2 mark in his first year with the program in 2016 when the silver storm finished the year leading the nation in total defense and ranked fourth nationally in scoring defense. AsA College tallied a .500 record in each of Boden’s next two seasons, including a 5-5 mark with a +15.3 scoring margin for the 2018 campaign. in his first experience as a head coach at the collegiate level, Boden led AsA College new York for the 2015 season after serving as the school’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the previous six years. Boden led the Avengers to a 6-5 record in 2015, including a five-game win streak midway through the season. his team featured a strong offensive attack and averaged 25.1 points per game to go along with 353.2 yards per contest. including his previous stint as the program’s offensive coordinator, Boden was a part of the AsA College new York coaching staff for a total of six years beginning with the program’s inception in 2009. Boden returned to the collegiate ranks after holding several coaching roles in the Arena Football league. he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Columbus Destroyers and previously held similar roles with the Colorado Crush and the nashville Kats. Boden was a part of consecutive playoff appearances by the Crush during the 2007 and 2008 seasons. he coached a pair of All-Arena players in 2007, with center Kyle moore-Brown earning first team accolades and wide receiver Damian harrell being named to the second team. moore-Brown was also a second team All- Arena honoree in 2008. Boden began his coaching career as the quarterbacks coach at Fordham for one season following a record-setting collegiate career. A 2000 graduate of villanova with a degree in sociology, Boden was the wildcats starting quarterback from the 1997-99 seasons. he compiled a 25- 10 record as a starter under center and helped the 1997 squad to a perfect 11-0 regular season and an appearance in the FCs playoffs. Boden is the school record holder with 10,146 career passing yards and he also holds the career (99), single season (42) and single game (six) passing touchdown records. he was 868-of-1412 through the air in a villanova uniform, completing 61.5 percent of his passes with the 99 touchdowns and just 31 interceptions. Boden still holds four of the program’s 10 highest single game passing performances and is the wildcats career and single game leader in passing attempts and completions. each of his three seasons as the starting quarterback rank in the top five in school history for total passing yards, including a high of 3,707 yards in 1997 which ranks second all-time. Boden also ranks second in the villanova record book in career total offense. Boden is a native of san Clemente, Calif. and set 11 school records at san Clemente high school during a successful scholastic career before he came to villanova. Boden and his wife, Jaclyn, reside in media, Pa. with their 11-year old son, Chase, and eight-year old daughter, makayla. Ross Pennypacker DEFEnSiVE CooRDinatoR/ DEFEnSiVE linE A veteran member of the coaching staff who is in his second stint with the pro- gram, Ross Penny- packer is the Defen- sive Coordinator for the wildcats and coaches the team’s defensive line. the 2023 season will be his ninth overall at villanova and his seventh season on head coach mark Ferrante’s staff. this will also be his second year as the program’s Defensive Coordinator. Pennypacker recruits a number of local schools and his primary territory in the area consists of Pennsylvania districts 2, 4 and 11. he also recruits new York (sec- tions 3, 4, 5, 6) as well as nationally in north Carolina, south Carolina and ten- nessee. Prior to being elevated to Defensive Coordinator, Pennypacker spent the previous three seasons (2019-21) as the 22 www.villAnovA.Com AssistAnt CoAChes 2023 VillanoVa Football Gameday Defensive Run Game Coordinator and the special teams Coordinator while working with the wildcats defensive line. villanova ranked among the national leaders (no. 18) in stopping the run during the 2021 season, allowing just 3.2 yards per carry to the opposition while holding six opponents to fewer than 80 yards on the ground. Pennypacker helped mentor a defense that led CAA Football and ranked seventh in the FCs in total defense last year with an average of just 274.5 total yards allowed per game. From an individual standpoint, Pennypacker saw 2021 fifth-year senior malik Fisher earn CAA Football All- Conference honors for the third time in his career. Fisher was a first team All-CAA selection in 2020, garnered second team accolades in 2021 and was a third team pick in 2019. he ranked among the CAA leaders in tackles for loss and quarterback sacks in each of those seasons while amassing career totals of 125 total tackles, 32.0 tackles for loss and 20.0 sacks. he was invited to the new orleans saints rookie minicamp following the end of his wildcats career. villanova excelled in a number of areas on special teams over the past three seasons Pennypacker was the team’s special teams Coordinator. one of the wildcats most versatile players in 2021 was tD Ayo-Durojaiye who was named a third team All-CAA performer on special teams. Ayo-Durojaiye led villanova with 10 special teams tackles that year, including eight stops on kickoff returns and two on punt returns. he also scored a touchdown on a return of a blocked punt. wildcat punter nathan Fondacaro was named a first team All-CAA choice for the 2019 campaign and kick returner Dez Boykin was a second team All-CAA pick in 2020. villanova ranked third nationally for the 2020 season while holding opponents to an average of just 10.5 yards per kickoff return. Pennypacker returned to the wildcats in 2017 for mark Ferrante’s first season as head coach after spending four years (2013-16) as the Defensive Coordinator and safeties coach at Kutztown. During those seasons he mentored 15 players who earned All-PsAC honors. the Bears defense tallied three shutouts and ranked in the top half of the PsAC in rushing defense and turnover margin during Pennypacker’s time on the staff. Kutztown led the PsAC in red zone defense in 2014 and ranked in the top three in the league in total defense and turnover margin that year. Perhaps more impressively, the Bears were 15-1 during Pennypacker’s tenure when the defense held opponents to fewer than 24 points. Before his coaching stint at Kutztown, Pennypacker was an assistant coach at Bucknell from 2010-12. he worked with the team’s safeties for the 2010 season before spending two years coaching the linebackers. Pennypacker was also the cornerbacks coach at Cornell from 2008-09 following his first stint at villanova from 2006-07 when he was the program’s video coordinator and assisted with coaching the team’s defensive backs. he began his coaching career in 2005 at his alma mater, millersville, and was also an intern assistant at Allegheny College where he worked with the outside linebackers. Pennypacker is a 2005 graduate of millersville with a degree in social sciences. he and his wife, lisa, reside in Flemington, n.J. with their four-year-old son, James, and two-year-old daughter, emily. Sean Devine oFFEnSiVE RUn GaME CooRDinatoR/oFFEnSiVE linE sean Devine is in his seventh season on the villanova coaching staff in 2023. he coaches the wildcats offensive line and is the team’s offensive Run Game Coordinator. in addition to recruiting several local schools in the greater Philadelphia area, Devine’s recruiting territory includes south and Central new Jersey locally as well as Colorado, Kansas, new mexico, oklahoma and texas on the national front. At least one villanova offensive lineman has been a CAA Football All-Conference selection in each of Devine’s first six years on the coaching staff. the most recent honoree is michael Corbi who earned second team All-CAA accolades in 2022 and was a second team All-America selection for the 2021 season. Corbi has garnered first team All-CAA acclaim twice during his career and was named to the 2023 preseason all-conference squad. During the 2021 campaign both Corbi and Gamroth were All-CAA performers, with Gamroth being named an all-conference pick for the third straight year. villanova’s offensive line has enabled the wildcats to be a high-powered offense in recent years. in 2022, the wildcats ranked among the top 25 teams nationally with an average of 189.6 rushing yards per contest. the offense recorded 49 plays from scrimmage of 20 yards or longer during the season, including 32 pass plays and 17 rushes. villanova’s offensive line has been ranked in the top 10 nationally ibn fewest sacks allowed in three of the past four seasons. in 2019, villanova led CAA Football by giving up just 14 sacks in 13 games played. starting left guard Paul Grattan earned first team All-CAA honors and Gamroth was a third team selection in his first year as a starter. Following the 2018 season ethan Greenidge was a second team All-CAA selection. he and teammate Brandon hitner each went on to sign nFl free agent contracts with the new orleans sains and the los Angeles Rams, respectively. A veteran of more than 20 years in the collegiate coaching ranks, Devine spent four seasons as the offensive Coordinator and offensive line coach at Delaware before coming to villanova. he made an immediate mark on the Blue hens in his first season in 2013 when he worked with one of the top offensive units in CAA Football. Delaware tallied a 7-5 record and ranked in the top half of the league in nearly every statistical category, including second in scoring offense (32.8 points per game), third in passing offense (240.0 yards per game) and fourth in rushing offense (177.0 yards per game). Delaware won six games in 2014 and placed both junior tackle Ben Curtis and senior guard JD Dzurko on the All- CAA squad. Curtis went on to be an All- American in 2015 for a Blue hens team that ranked second in the CAA and 17th in FCs football in rushing offense (219.4 yards per game). Delaware was also second in the league and 13th nationally in time of possession per game (33:04) in 2015. Devine worked with a pair of offensive linemen, Connor Bozick and Brody Kern, who were All-CAA selections for both the 2015 and the 2016 seasons. Devine coached for 14 years (1995-08) at new hampshire, where he served as defensive line coach (1995-01), offensive line coach and recruiting coordinator (2002-06), and offensive coordinator and offensive line coach (2007-08). Devine was a part of five consecutive FCs playoff berths from 2004-08, and during his time on the wildcats coaching staff he saw new hampshire gain a no. 1 national ranking and capture three conference titles. Among the players he coached was quarterback Ricky santos, who won at least a share of the league’s offensive Player of the Year award three straight years from 2005-07. he began his coaching career at his alma mater, Colby College, in 1994 and 2023 VillanoVa Football Gameday AssistAnt CoAChes www.villAnovA.Com 23 also coached for four years at Boston College (2009-12) prior to his stint at Delaware. he served as the offensive line coach at Boston College for three seasons and was also the tight ends coach in 2012. Devine helped lead the eagles to berths in the emerald Bowl (2009) and the Kraft Fight hunger Bowl (2010), and he coached two-time All-ACC performer Anthony Castonzo who was a 2011 first round draft pick by the indianapolis Colts. Devine was a four-year starter at linebacker at Colby College, where he was a team captain. he was an All-east selection as a senior and earned his degree in Physics in 1994. he was Colby’s defensive line coach for the 1994 football season. Devine and his wife, nicole, are the parents to daughters Amelie and maelle. Amelie will be entering her sophomore year at villanova in Fall 2022. David Riede linEbaCKERS CoaCH/RECRUitinG CooRDinatoR David Riede has been a mainstay on the villanova coaching staff and the 2023 season will be his 17th with the program. he has held several roles during his time with the wildcats and currently serves as the Recruiting Coordinator while working with the team’s linebackers. he previously coached the cornerbacks and spent nine years as the program’s Director of Player Personnel. villanova has had a great deal of success with its recruiting efforts in recent seasons while laying a foundation for success on a national level. the most recent signing class of future wildcats for the Class of 2027 reflects those efforts, by combining a national outlook with the ability to keep top talent close to home for their collegiate careers. that is true of the group of 11 signees that make up the class of 2027 with all 11 scholastic players representing five states on the eastern seaboard. villanova signed five players from new Jersey, two each from virginia and new York, and added one player from both Connecticut and Pennsylvania. over the past four seasons the villanova linebackers have consistently been among the team’s top performers. that was never more true than during the 2021 season when Forrest Rhyne was named the CAA Football Defensive Player of the Year, a consensus first team All-American and the maxwell Football Club co-winner of the 21st Brian westbrook Regional Player of the Year Award. Rhyne’s 154 total tackles in 2021 were the most among all FBs and FCs players and he averaged 11.8 tackles per game while reaching double figures in total stops in six of the last seven games of his collegiate career. he ended his wildcats career as a three- time first team All-CAA selection. During the nine seasons that Riede was in charge of player personnel for the wildcats he served as the team’s liaison to the Academic support and Compliance offices while assisting heavily in all aspects of the program’s recruiting efforts. Riede came to villanova from Allegheny College where he was an assistant from 2005- 07. During his stay at Allegheny, Riede was responsible for coaching the wide receivers and overseeing all aspects of video coordination. Riede is a 2003 graduate of Baldwin wallace College where he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice. During his playing days at Baldwin wallace, he was a two-year letterwinner in football and a three-year letterwinner in baseball. Riede earned a master’s in sport and Recreational management from Kent state University in 2005. Riede and his wife lindsey reside in wilmington. Del., with their five-year old son Jack, three-year old son Dan and six- month old daughter, madelyn. Nate Pagan WiDE RECEiVERS CoaCH nate Pagan is in his seventh season on the villanova staff in 2023 and coaches the team’s wide receivers. he earned a promotion to his current role prior to the 2019 season after initially coming to the wildcats two years earlier as an offensive assistant. his recruiting responsibilities include part of Philadelphia county and national territory in Atlanta (Cobb, Fayette, Fulton counties), Alaska, idaho, oregon and washington. At least one villanova wide receiver has earned CAA Football All-Conference honors in each of Pagan’s first four seasons working with that positional group. last season, Jaaron hayek garnered first team All-CAA acclaim after he tallied 36 receptions for 810 yards (22.5 avg.) and eight touchdowns in just eight games. Under Pagan’s guidance, Rayjuon Pringle has developed into one of the team’s top offensive playmakers and was named a second team All-CAA selection for both the 2020 and 2021 seasons. in addition, hayek (2021) and Changa hodge (2019) have garnered third team All-CAA recognition. During the 2021 campaign the duo of Pringle and hayek combined for over 1,500 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns. Pringle led the wildcats with 41 receptions and 843 yards while hauling in eight scores. hayek was ranked 19th in the FCs with a team-high nine receiving touchdowns while making 40 catches for 671 yards. Both players ranked among the CAA leaders in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Pringle was one of the top contributors for villanova in 2020 during an abbreviated season played in spring 2021. he caught 17 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns in four games, including a career-high 171 yards and a score in a season-opening road win at stony Brook. Pagan’s first season coaching the wide receivers was in 2019 when he helped guide hodge to a breakout campaign which included the fifth-most receiving yards (1,118) in a single season in school history. hodge recorded 65 catches and averaged 17.2 yards per reception while catching 13 touchdown passes in 209. he starred in the annual Battle of the Blue rivalry game against Delaware when his 236 receiving yards and four touchdowns made him the first villanova receiver in 23 yards to top 200 yards in a game. Prior to beginning his wildcats tenure, Pagan spent two seasons (2015-16) at stevenson where he coached the mustangs wide receivers. he was also the special teams Coordinator for the 2016 season. stevenson led the middle Atlantic Conference in scoring with 36.7 points per game in 2016 and Pagan coached wo wide receivers who earned All-mAC recognition in first team honoree Preston Addo (47 receptions, 799 yards, 12 touchdowns) and second team selection Devin salisbury (71 receptions, 815 yards, six touchd0wns). in Pagan’s first season with the mustangs in 2015 wide receiver Cortez taylor was an honorable mention All-mAC selection. stevenson also had three special teams players earn all-conference honors for the 2016 season. Running back Devonte williams was the special teams Player of the Year, while Addo was the special teams Returner of the Year and kicker term sternfeld was a second team all- league picks. the special teams unit ranked 14th in Division iii in punt returns. Pagan was the wide receivers coach at sUnY Cortland for the 2013 and 2014 seasons. he coached 2013 All-American John Babin who had 82 receptions for 1,278 yards and 13 touchdowns while also working with first team all-region 24 www.villAnovA.Com AssistAnt CoAChes 2023 VillanoVa Football Gameday kick returner Dylan Peebles. one year later in 2014, Peebles emerged as an All- American kick returner when he had 26 returns for 907 yards, three touchdowns and an average of 34.9 yards per return. A graduate of west Chester in 2013 with a Bachelor’s degree in liberal studies/Professional studies, Pagan was a defensive back, wide receiver and kick return for the Golden Rams. he began his collegiate career playing one season at Clarion in 2008. while at west Chester, he was a six-time Matt Colangelo SPECial tEaMS CooRDinatoR/ SaFEtiESS matt Colangelo begins his sixth year overall on the villanova coaching staff in 2023 and is in his fifth year since returning to the wildcats for his second stint with the program. For the second straight season Colangelo will be the special teams Coordinator in addition to coaching the villanova safeties. the primary recruiting territory for Colangelo consists of new england, including Connecticut, maine, massachusetts, new hampshire, Rhode island and vermont. he also recruits several of the local high schools. in his first season as the special teams Coordinator in 2022, Colangelo worked with two players who earned CAA All- Conference honors. Dez Boykin was a second team All-CAA selection as a kick returner and concluded his stellar collegiate career ranked fourth in school history with 1,725 career kick return yards. matthew mercurio made a big impact for the wildcats during his first year on campus and garnered third team All-CAA honors as villanova’s kicker. mercurio led the team with 65 points last season while making all 35 of his PAt attempts and connecting on 10-of-12 field goals. Colangelo’s first year at villanova was in 2017 when he worked with the outside linebackers. he returned to the staff in 2019 after spending one year at holy Cross. Among the wildcats student-athletes he has worked with in recent years are CAA Football All-Conference performers Drew wiley and Amin Black. wiley garnered third team All-CAA accolades for the 2019 campaign and Black was a third team all-league selection in 2021 prior to signing a professional contract to play in Germany. in 2017, Colangelo assisted in coaching a unit that included first team All-CAA honoree ed shockley. As a senior that year, shockley led the wildcats with 101 tackles and he went on to sign a free agent nFl contract with the Dallas Cowboys. in his one year away from the villanova coaching staff Colangelo spent the 2018 season at holy Cross where he coached the safeties. the Crusaders defense was one of the team’s strengths in 2018 and starting safety Joe lang finished second on the team with 77 tackles while tying for the team lead in two forced fumbles. he added two sacks and four pass breakups on the year. Colangelo also recruited areas of Pennsylvania while on the holy Cross staff, including the northeastern part of the state and the lehigh valley. his recruiting territory also consisted of the state of texas. Colangelo was a defensive assistant at Yale in 2016 after beginning his coaching career as an assistant coach for two seasons (2014-15) at his alma mater, Assumption. he helped lead the Greyhounds to a combined 18 wins in his two years on the coaching staff, including an 11-2 season in 2015 when the team compiled a 10-game winning streak and advanced to the second round of the nCAA playoffs. During his own collegiate career Colangelo was a linebacker at Assumption and served as a senior captain for the 2013 season. A native of Cromwell, Conn., he ranked third on the Greyhounds in tackles as a senior when his stats for the year included 69 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, one fumble recovery, two interceptions, two quarterback hurries and one pass breakup. he earned northeast-10 All- Conference first team accolades that year and was a worcester Area first team all-star. Colangelo was presented with the 2014 william A. Cating ’64 memorial Award as the most Coachable male athlete at Assumption. Josh Fletcher RUnninG baCKS CoaCH now in his fifth year on the villanova staff in 2023, Josh Fletcher begins his second season coaching the team’s running backs. he had been an offensive assistant and worked with the wildcats tight ends from 2019-21 before earning a recent promotion to his current role. in addition to his coaching responsibilities Fletcher will recruit areas of new York, including sections 1, 2, 7, 9, and 10. From 2019-21 Fletcher coached one of the key contributors to the villanova offense in tight end todd summers whose collegiate career culminated with being named a second team CAA Football All- Conference selection for the 2021 season. summers ended his collegiate career with 76 career receptions for 901 yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 11.9 yards per catch. he played in all 13 games as a sixth-year player in 2021, amassing 288 receiving yards and three touchdowns for a wildcats team which won a CAA title and advanced to the quarterfinal round of the FCs playoffs. in his first year as the team’s running backs coach in 2022, Fletcher guided tD Ayo-Durojaiye to a career year with 676 yards rushing on 127 carries. As a team last season, the wildcats averaged 189.6 rushing yards per game and 5.1 yards per carry. Before he came to the wildcats, Fletcher spent the 2018 season at missouri state where he was a special teams and quality control coach. he worked with the kickers and punters for a team that led the missouri valley Conference and ranked in the top five in the FCs in net punting and punt return defense. During his time with the Bears, Fletcher was responsible for all special teams scout meetings and scout cards in addition to working with the scout teams during practices. he previously was a defensive assistant at valdosta state in 2017 and an offensive assistant at towson for the 2016 season. Fletcher worked with the special teams units during each of those stops and he assisted with coaching the linebackers at valdosta state when the team ended the 2017 campaign ranked in the top 10 in Division ii in fewest first downs allowed and fewest touchdowns allowed. Fletcher also assisted the special teams coordinator with game planning and was charged with breaking down video of opposing offenses and special teams. Fletcher was in charge of defensive scout team meetings at towson in 2016 and on game days was responsible for charting opposing defenses in addition to assisting with clock management. towson led the FCs in kickoff returns, ranked 18th nationally in kickoff return defense and was fourth in net punting for the 2016 season. Fletcher additionally recruited areas of Georgia, maryland, virginia and Pennsylvania during his year on the tigers staff. During the 2014 and 2015 seasons Fletcher was the running backs and 26 www.villAnovA.Com AssistAnt CoAChes 2023 VillanoVa Football Gameday tight ends coach at AsA College new York where current villanova offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Chris Boden was on the staff. Boden was the AsA College offensive coordinator in 2014 and the head coach in 2015. Fletcher assisted with designing the Avengers offensive playbook, formulated weekly game plans and assisted with play calling for the offense. he was also in charge of travel accommodations, film exchange and assisting with student-athlete eligibility. Fletcher graduated from mcDaniel College in 2014 with a degree in exercise science and a minor in sports Coaching. he began his coaching career as an undergraduate assistant linebackers coach for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. he assisted with on-campus recruiting as well as running offensive scout team meetings and practices. Dustin Johnson SEConDaRY CoaCH Dustin Johnson returns for his second year as a member of the wildcat coaching staff in 2023. Johnson arrived at villanova in 2022 after serving as the head coach at william Paterson for the previous four seasons. he will work with the villanova cornerbacks in his role on mark Ferrante’s staff. During his time as a collegiate head coach Johnson has maintained a philosophy of preparing student-athletes for successful futures by focusing on academic and athletic achievement, teamwork, community involvement, social preparedness and professional development. As the head coach at william Paterson from 2018-21, Johnson saw his student- athletes consistently earn regional and conference recognition for their efforts on the field. he guided the Pioneers to a total of 30 All-nJAC selections as head coach and william Paterson had four major conference award winners in a three-year span from 2019-21. Running back terrique Riddick was the nJAC offensive Rookie of the Year and the eCAC Division iii offensive Rookie of the Year in 2019 before going on to be named the nJAC Co-offensive Player of the Year when the league announced its 2020-21 awards. Johnson also coached cornerback Devyn Blount who was named the nJAC Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2019 and defensive back isaiah De la Cruz who was a 2020-21 Co-Defensive Rookie of the Year honoree. During the 2019 season both Riddick and linebacker Andrew Anthony were named to the All- eCAC second team. tight end william Frese and linebacker nazier wright each garnered D3football.com All-Region 2 accolades for the 2021 campaign. Frese was a second team offensive selection and wright earned a spot on the third team defense. Prior to his first collegiate head coaching stint Johnson had a successful seven- year run at stevenson, including the last five seasons as the mustangs defensive coordinator. he was on the coaching staff at stevenson for each of the program’s first seven years of intercollegiate competition and helped the team win the middle Atlantic Conference title in only its sixth season (2016). stevenson’s inaugural intercollegiate campaign was in 2011 and Johnson was an integral part of building the program’s early success. he first joined the mustangs coaching staff in August 2010 as a defensive backs coach and he was later the special teams Coordinator in 2012 before being elevated to Defensive Coordinator one year later. Johnson consistently assembled defenses that ranked among the top 25 in Division iii in several categories and he developed strong recruiting ties in new Jersey that he brought with him to william Paterson as head coach. stevenson led the nation in turnover margin per game (1.91), takeaways (40) and interceptions (29) in 2015, ranked fourth in Division iii in interceptions (26) in 2016 and was 12th nationally in fumble recoveries (13) in 2017. Among the top performers that Johnson mentored were defensive back Austin tennessee, a 2016 first team AFCA and D3football.com All-American, the mAC and D3football. com east Region Defensive Player of the Year and the winner of the Rocky myers Division iii Defensive Back of the Year honor. tennessee eventually went on to sign an nFl contract with the minnesota vikings. Johnson’s responsibilities as Defensive Coordinator at stevenson included overseeing all facets of the defense, coordinating practice and game planning, play calling, skill instruction, student- athlete performance evaluation, film breakdown and scouting. he managed the special teams and defensive coaching staff members along with handling administrative tasks such as budgeting for apparel, uniforms, travel and meals. his recruiting efforts focused on northern new Jersey (Bergen, morris, Passaic and somerset counties) as well as parts of maryland (Baltimore and Prince George’s counties, eastern shore) and the state of Delaware. while at stevenson, Johnson consistently saw his student-athletes excel in the classroom. the mustangs had 15 conference academic honorees over his last three years on staff when Johnson’s responsibilities included academic support, grade monitoring, conducting weekly academic meetings and supervising study halls. he also collaborated with the special olympics, Kennedy Kreiger institute and mechanicsville elementary school on community outreach efforts while utilizing a retention and leadership program that created strong bonds between the program’s upperclassmen and underclassmen. Johnson was a four-year starting quarterback and two-year captain at salisbury from 2002-05 during his college football playing career. he was the sea Gulls second-leading rusher with 3,215 yards, ranked sixth in school history with 2,204 passing yards and graduated 10th in program history with 174 total points. Johnson was named the 2002 Atlantic Central Football Conference Rookie of the Year after rushing for 1,204 yards, the most in the nation by a quarterback. he was a three-time All-ACFC selection during his career and twice earned academic All-ACFC accolades. Following his collegiate career the native of Delmar, md. played three seasons (2007-09) in the Arena Football league as a quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back for the Amarillo Dusters and Bossier-shreveport Battlewings. his coaching career began at Demar high school in 2001 when he worked with the quarterbacks and defensive backs. Johnson was a facility coordinator at salisbury in 2002 and went on to be the sea Gulls running backs coach and assistant strength & conditioning coach from 2005-07. he coached salisbury’s defensive backs from 2008-10 before going on to stevenson. Johnson earned his Bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from salisbury in 2006 and a master’s degree in Athletic Administration from Concordia in 2018. Lachlan Kline oFFEnSiVE aSSiStant/ tiGHt EnDS CoaCH lachlan Kline begins his second season on the villanova coaching staff in 2023 and will be an offensive assistant working with the wildcats tight ends. he previously spent the summer of 2023 VillanoVa Football Gameday sUPPoRt stAFF www.villAnovA.Com 27 2021 with the wildcats as an assistant wide receivers coach before returning to his alma mater, Florida, where he completed his master’s degree and was an offensive graduate assistant for the Gators. Kline was an offensive assistant at Florida from January 2020 to June 2021. his responsibilities included assisting the coaching staff with daily operations in addition to helping with practice and game preparation. As an undergraduate at Florida pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in sport management, Kline was a Football Player Personnel and Recruiting intern from June 2018 to January 2020. he assisted with the recruiting staff operations and updated the Xos thundercloud system. During the 2021 summer months Kline assisted with all aspects of offensive football operations and worked with the villanova wide receivers. he returned to Florida to finish his master of science in sport management and graduated in 2022.sport management and graduated in 2022. Ricky Venuto DEFEnSiVE aSSiStant Ricky venuto returns for his second year as a member of the villanova coaching staff in 2023. After spending the 2002 campaign as a volunteer assistant coach, venuto has been elevated to a defensive assistant for the 2023 season. in his current role, venuto will assist the defensive line during practice, in addition to assisting with running the scout team offense. venuto will also assist the special teams Coordinator with weekly opponent breakdowns and scouting reports and with the planning, organizing and installing of weekly special teams schemes for opponents. Prior to villanova, venuto served as a recruiting assistant at Yale University from october, 2020, until February of 2022. Before the stint at Yale, he was the Co- offensive Coordinator and wide receivers coach at lower Cape may Regional high school in Cape may, n.J. venuto was a quarterback for two seasons at muhlenberg College from 2016-17. Following his playing days, he was a student assistant football coach for the mules for two years. he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration with a concentration in management from muhlenberg in 2020. TJ Landis CooRDinatoR oF Football ViDEo oPERationS & aDMiniStRation SERViCES tJ landis is in his ninth year as a mem- ber of the villanova football program in 2023. he is currently the Coordinator of Football video oper- ations & Administra- tive services. in this role, landis oversees all aspects of video production for the coaching staff during both practices and game days. he is also the football staff liaison to several of the other departments in villanova Athletics. landis is a 2014 graduate of elon where he earned a Bachelor of science Degree in sport and event management. During his time at elon, he worked four years as a student assistant video coordinator for the football team. in this role, he used video editing programs to breakdown film for both practices and games. he also spent one season working as a marketing and recruiting assistant for the elon women’s basketball team. Tyler Waite atHlEtiC tRainER tyler waite is an Associate Athletic trainer at villanova and is in his 15th season as the head athletic trainer for the wildcats football program. in march of 2017, waite was a guest at the nFl scouting Combine on behalf of the Professional Football Athletic trainers society (PFAts). he was one of just three collegiate football athletic trainers to be invited to the combine, where his credential allowed him to observe player medical exams and workouts while interacting with the athletic trainers and physicians from all 32 nFl organizations. the invitation to attend the nFl Combine was an important experience from both a networking and an educational perspective, and waite also attended the nFl Combine PFAts Dinner Reception as well as the nFl Physician’s society/PFAts General medical symposium which addressed a variety of medical topics in addition a presentation of case studies. waite earned a Bachelor of science Degree in Athletic training from ohio state in 2005, and a master of science Degree in sports medicine from oregon state in 2007. he originally came to villanova in 2009 from the United states military Academy, where he was an assistant athletic trainer for the football team. he previously served a year-long internship with the Buffalo Bills and was a graduate assistant athletic trainer at oregon state, where he worked with the football, women’s golf, baseball and women’s basketball programs. he and his wife, stephanie, reside in newtown square, Pa. Mike Tucker Football SPoRtS PERFoRManCE CoaCH mike tucker is the strength and conditioning coach for the villanova Football squad, a position he’s held since 2018. tucker arrived on the main line after spending two years at san Jose state as the assistant athletic performance coach for the spartans football program. he assisted in planning, implementing and coaching all aspects of football athletic performance during those two seasons and was also the athletic performance coach for the baseball, women’s basketball and women’s volleyball programs. A 2014 graduate of holy Cross, tucker began his career in strength and conditioning as an athletic performance intern at north Dakota state in 2014. he went on to serve a six-month internship at Clemson where he worked with the baseball, track & field, men’s soccer and women’s soccer teams in the weight room as well as in field training. tucker also spent a year at Kutztown as both the head athletic performance coach and the defensive line coach. he implemented a year-round strength and conditioning program for the Bears football team while coaching three defensive linemen who earned all-conference accolades. tucker earned his Bachelor’s degree in history from holy Cross and was a four-year football letterwinner. he was a three-year starter at outside linebacker. in addition to his undergraduate degree, tucker earned his master’s degree in Kinesiology and exercise Physiology from san Jose state. Support Staff28 www.villanova.com meet the wildcats 2023 VillanoVa Football Gameday meet The Wildcats 27 Danny ABRAHAM LB | Gr. | 5-11 | 225 Randolph, Mass. Boston College HS | Harvard 74 Temi AJIROTUTU OL | Sr. | 6-5 | 310 Queens, N.Y. Eagle Academy 1 TD AYO-DUROJAIYE RB | Gr. | 5-11 | 210 Damascus, Md. Damascus 28 DeeWil BARLEE RB | Gr. | 5-8 | 205 Upper Darby, Pa. Episcopal 35 Brendan BELL LB | Sr. | 6-2 | 230 Basking Ridge, N.J. Ridge 43 Nino BETANCES DB | So. | 5-10 | 180 Brooklyn, N.Y. Eagle Academy II 77 Erik BOCKISCH OL | So. | 6-4 | 290 Wiesengrund Germany Salisbury School (Conn.) 81 Mitchell BOTHWELL TE | Jr. | 6-5 | 240 Fort Worth, Texas All Saints Episcopal School 78 Tommy BRODERICK OL | Fr. | 6-5 | 295 Alpharetta, Ga. Cambridge 86 Tim BROWN WR | Sr. | 5-10 | 185 Philadelphia, Pa. Bishop McDevitt 56 Christian CABALLERO LB | Fr. | 6-2 | 220 Niceville, Fla. Niceville 13 Ethan CARR WR | So. | 6-2 | 205 Harrison City, Pa. Penn-Trafford 85 Nolan CLAYTON TE | Fr. | 6-5 | 240 King of Prussia, Pa. Upper Merion 73 Michael CORBI OL | Gr. | 6-3 | 335 Annapolis, Md. Mount Saint Joseph 83 Luke DALY WR | So. | 6-1 | 185 Rye, N.Y. Trinity-Pawling 37 Zahmir DAWUD DB | Fr. | 6-0 | 175 North Brunswick, N.J. North Brunswick 48 Chris DOBRYDNEY WR | So. | 5-10 | 190 Fairfax, Va. Woodson 65 Ian ERICKSON OL | So. | 6-6 | 315 Atlanta, Ga. Marist School 67 Kyle FAY OL | Fr. | 6-6 | 285 Cranford, N.J. Cranford 47 Dane FIDLER DB | Fr. | 6-0 | 180 Garden City, Idaho Apache Junction (Ariz.) 96 Nathan FONDAC- ARO P | Sr. | 5-10 | 190 Sewell, N.J. St. Augustine Prep 42 Timmy FURGESON LB | Sr. | 6-2 | 225 Gaithersburg, Md. Damascus 99 Camden GAGNON DL | Gr. | 6-4 | 270 Goffstown, N.H. The Governor’s Academy (Mass.) | Brown 49 Julian GLANTZ RB | So. | 6-1 | 210 Scarsdale, N.Y. ScarsdaleGame day taste you can’t beat © 2023 The Coca-Cola Company. “Coke” and “Coca-Cola” are registered trademarks of The Coca-Cola Company.Next >