BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Bucknell senior quarterback Ralph Rucker IV and Fordham senior defensive lineman Matt Jaworski received Patriot League Football Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively, when the League office announced 2024 postseason honors on Tuesday.
Rucker IV led the League in passing yards (2,826), passing touchdowns (25) and pass efficiency (151.5) to become the first Bison to claim Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year since Rich Lemon accomplished the feat in 1994. Rucker IV was joined among the major award winners by teammate and freshman running back Tariq Thomas, who captured Patriot League Football Rookie of the Year honors.
Fordham’s Jaworski is the sixth Ram to claim Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year honors after leading the League and ranking 17th in NCAA DI FCS in tackles for loss with 1.3 per game.
Second-year Lehigh head coach Kevin Cahill earned the Patriot League Dick Biddle Coach of the Year after guiding the Mountain Hawks to a share of the Patriot League crown and the League’s automatic bid into the FCS Playoffs while making a six-win improvement from last season.
Overall, 65 student-athletes claimed a spot on the All-Patriot League First- and Second Teams. Patriot League co-champions Holy Cross and Lehigh led the way with 12 and 11 representatives, respectively. Both teams placed six student-athletes on the first team. Bucknell had 10 student-athletes make the two teams, including four on the first team. Fordham and Georgetown received nine All-League selections apiece, with Lafayette and Colgate placing eight and six players on the two teams, respectively.
The seven League football head coaches voted on the Patriot League major awards and All-League teams. They could not vote for their student-athletes or themselves.
2024 Patriot League Football Offensive Player of the Year
Ralph Rucker IV, Bucknell, Sr., QB, Lucas, Texas/Lovejoy
2024 Stats: 11 GP, 244-for-363 passing for 2,826 yards, 25 TD passes, 7 INTs, 151.5 pass efficiency, 4 rushing TDs
*Rucker IV led the Patriot League and ranked 10th in NCAA DI FCS in passing yards per game (256.9) and 11th in the nation in passing touchdowns (25).
*The five-time Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week recorded a .672 completion percentage, 12th in the FCS and the fifth-best single-season mark in League history. His 22.18 yards per completion also ranked 10th in the nation.
*The Lucas, Texas native guided an offense that led the Patriot League in total offense (387.6), passing offense (268.3) and finished second in scoring offense (28.8) to a 4-2 League record, its best mark in a full season since 2014.
*He broke Bison program records for single-season touchdown passes (25) and career touchdown passes (46), single-game passing yardage (457) and single-season passing yards (2,826).
2024 Patriot League Football Defensive Player of the Year
Matt Jaworski, Fordham, Sr., DL, Buffalo, N.Y./St. Francis
2024 Stats: 12 GP, 60 tackles, 16.5 TFLs for 57 yards, 2.0 sacks, 4 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble, 1 blocked kick, 34 quarterback hurries
*Jaworski led the Patriot League and finished 17th in the FCS with 1.3 tackles for loss per game, totaling 16.5 TFLs in 12 games for a loss of 57 yards.
*The senior defensive lineman proved to be a disruptive force with 34 quarterback hurries, 2.0 sacks and a forced fumble this season
*In six League games, Jaworski recorded 10.0 TFLs, including nine solo TFLs to tie for the League lead.
2024 Patriot League Football Rookie of the Year
Tariq Thomas, Bucknell, Fr., RB, Springfield, Mass./Springfield Central
2024 Stats: 11 GP, 166 carries, 783 yards (71.2 ypg), 4 TDs, 13 receptions, 71 yards
*Thomas finished fifth in the League in rushing (71.2 ypg) while averaging 100.6 rushing yards per game in five League contests to help the Bison score 32.2 points per League game, the second-best mark in the League.
*The freshman running back contributed to a Bison offense that averaged a League-best 397.5 yards per game in League play to post a 4-2 record.
*The Springfield, Mass. native earned Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors four times, including twice in a row on Oct. 14 and Oct. 21.
2024 Patriot League Football Dick Biddle Coach of the Year
Kevin Cahill, Lehigh
*Cahill guided Lehigh to a share of the program’s 13th Patriot League title, their first since 2017, and the League’s automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs.
*The second-year head coach helped the Mountain Hawks improve by six wins this season, leading the League in scoring offense (30.7), scoring defense (21.0) and total defense (290.4) while outscoring FCS opponents by 149 points this season.
*Lehigh’s offense led the Patriot League in rushing (211.5), while their top-ranked scoring offense (30.7) improved from finishing seventh in the category last season.
*The Mountain Hawks also tied for the League lead in interceptions (14) and interceptions returned for touchdowns (3) while finishing atop the League leaderboard in sacks (33) and fewest sacks allowed (12).
2024 All-Patriot League Football by the Numbers
Fordham’s Conway Joins Four-Time All-Patriot League Club
Fordham graduate student linebacker James Conway became the 29th Patriot League football student-athlete to earn All-League honors four times. Conway became the Patriot League’s career leader in tackles (436) and averaged a League-best 12.3 tackles per game in four League games.
Five Student-Athletes Earn All-League Honors for the Third Time
Five Patriot League student-athletes join the 151 players who have received All-League honors three or more times. Colgate fifth-year offensive lineman Bardhyl Gashi and senior punter Shelby Pruett earn spots on the All-League team for the third straight season. Fordham senior running back Julius Loughridge received first-team honors for the second straight season after receiving second-team accolades in 2022. Holy Cross senior wide receiver Justin Shorter is a three-time honoree but received his first nod at wide receiver. He was a first-team honoree as a return specialist in 2022 and a second-team selection in 2021. Lehigh graduate student linebacker Mike DeNucci made the first team for the first time after being a two-time second-team honoree.
12 Patriot League Student-Athletes Named All-League for the Second Time
The 2024 All-Patriot League Teams feature 14 student-athletes, who are collecting postseason accolades for the second time. Fordham’s Jaworski highlights a list of seven student-athletes who made the first team, including Colgate’s Treyvhon Saunders (Jr., WR), Fordham’s Will Haslett (Jr., P) and Nahil Perkins (Gr., DB), Lafayette’s Jamar Curtis (Jr. RB) and Saiku White (Sr., DB) and Lehigh’s Nick Peltekian (Jr., DB).
Five more two-time All-League selections made the second team, including Bucknell’s Brad Jamison (Sr., LB), Fordham’s Claudy Robinson (Jr., DL), Georgetown’s Jimmy Kibble (Jr., WR) and Lafayette’s Ryder Langsdale (Sr., OL) and Elijah Steward (Jr., WR). Lehigh junior wide receiver Geoffrey Jamiel earned an All-League nod for the first time but was selected as the 2022 Patriot League Rookie of the Year.
Peltekian Claims All-League Accolades at Two Positions
Lehigh’s Peltekian was voted to the All-Patriot League First Team as a defensive back after ranking 11th in the FCS in interceptions per game (0.4) and helping the Mountain Hawks defense lead the Patriot League and rank fifth in the FCS in team pass efficiency defense (109.90). The junior defensive back was also selected to the second team as a return specialist.
2024 Patriot League Football Major Awards
Offensive Player of the Year – Ralph Rucker IV, Bucknell, Sr., QB
Defensive Player of the Year – Matt Jaworski, Fordham, Sr., DL
Rookie of the Year – Tariq Thomas, Bucknell, Fr., RB
Dick Biddle Coach of the Year – Kevin Cahill, Lehigh
2024 All-Patriot League Football First Team
First-Team Offense (13)
QB: Ralph Rucker IV, Bucknell, Sr.
RB: Julius Loughridge, Fordham, Sr.
RB: Jayden Clerveaux, Holy Cross, So.
RB: Jamar Curtis, Lafayette, Jr.
WR: Eric Weatherly, Bucknell, Jr.
WR: Treyvhon Saunders, Colgate, Jr.
WR: Max Mosey, Holy Cross, Jr.
TE: Jacob Petersen, Holy Cross, Sr.
OL: Bardhyl Gashi, Colgate, 5th
OL: Christo Kelly, Holy Cross, 5th
OL: Cam McNair, Holy Cross, Sr.
OL: George Padezanin, Lehigh, Gr.
OL: Langston Jones, Lehigh, Jr.
First-Team Defense (12)
DL: Andrew Taddeo, Colgate, Sr.
DL: Matt Jaworski, Fordham, Sr.
DL: Matt Spatny, Lehigh, Jr.
DL: TJ Burke, Lehigh, Jr.
LB: Cole Kozlowski, Colgate, Jr.
LB: James Conway, Fordham, Sr.
LB: Frankie Monte, Holy Cross, Sr.
LB: Mike DeNucci, Lehigh, Gr.
DB: Nahil Perkins, Fordham, Gr.
DB: Saiku White, Lafayette, Sr.
DB: Gabe DuBois, Lafayette, Sr.
DB: Nick Peltekian, Lehigh, Jr.
First-Team Special Teams (6)*
PK: Luke Vogeler, Colgate, So.
P: Shelby Pruett, Colgate, Sr.
P: Will Haslett, Fordham, Jr.
Return Specialist (RS): TJ Cadden, Bucknell, So.
Special Teams Non-Specialist (STNS): Sam Milligan, Bucknell, So.
Long Snapper (LS): Sebastian Alonso, Georgetown, Sr.
2024 All-Patriot League Football Second Team
Second-Team Offense (14)*
QB: Joe Pesansky, Holy Cross, Sr.
RB: Jaden Green, Lehigh, Fy.
RB: Luke Yoder, Lehigh, So.
RB: Tariq Thomas, Bucknell, Fr.
WR: Jimmy Kibble, Georgetown, Jr.
WR: Justin Shorter, Holy Cross, Sr.
WR: Elijah Steward, Lafayette, Jr.
WR: Geoffrey Jamiel, Lehigh, Jr.
TE: Dallas Holmes, Lafayette, Sr.
OL: John Ohnegian, Bucknell, Jr.
OL: Cody Johnson, Fordham, Gr.
OL: Cam Nolan, Holy Cross, Jr.
OL: Ryder Langsdale, Lafayette, Sr.
OL: Aidan Palmer, Lehigh, Jr.
Second-Team Defense (14)*
DL: Aneesh Vyas, Bucknell, Sr.
DL: Claudy Robinson, Fordham, Jr.
DL: Cooper Blomstrom, Georgetown, So.
DL: Tyree Morris, Lafayette, Jr.
LB: Brad Jamison, Bucknell, Sr.
LB: Gavin Willis, Bucknell, So.
LB: GianCarlo Rufo, Georgetown, So.
LB: David Ealey III, Georgetown, Gr.
LB: Mike Courtney, Fordham, Gr.
DB: Zeraun Daniel, Georgetown, So.
DB: Preston Murray, Georgetown, Gr.
DB: Curtis Harris-Lopez, Holy Cross, Sr.
DB: Jake Jarmolowich, Holy Cross, Sr.
DB: Cam Jones, Holy Cross, So.
Second-Team Special Teams (6)*
PK: Patrick Ryan, Georgetown, Sr.
P: Matt Schearer, Bucknell, Jr.
RS: Nick Peltekian, Lehigh, Jr.
STNS: Kenneth Borders, Georgetown, Sr.
LS: Walker Adkinson, Fordham, Jr.
LS: Dylan Aguilera, Lafayette, Jr.
*Additional players added due to ties in voting
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.