BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Defending champion Lehigh ranked atop the 2025 Patriot League Football Preseason Poll, and Mountain Hawks senior defensive lineman Matt Spatny captured preseason defensive player of the year when the League office announced preseason honors. Reigning Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year Ralph Rucker IV (5th-year, QB) of Bucknell received the preseason award.
The Mountain Hawks (9-4, 5-1 PL) received 97 points and 13 first-place votes after head coach Kevin Cahill led Lehigh to its first FCS Playoff appearance since 2017, last season. Richmond (10-3, 8-0 CAA), which has made the last three postseasons, begins its first season in the League ranked second in the preseason poll with 83 points and three first-place votes. Holy Cross (6-6, 5-1 PL) is third with 78 points after claiming a share of the program’s sixth straight Patriot League title in 2024.
Bucknell (6-6, 4-2) is fourth in the preseason poll with 51 points, coming off a season that saw them post their best League mark since 2014. Lafayette, the 2023 League champions, finished fifth with 47 points. Georgetown (32), Colgate (31) and Fordham (29) round out the 2025 Patriot League Football Preseason Poll.
Rucker IV and Spatny highlight the 31-member Preseason All-Patriot League Team. Fordham graduate student linebacker James Conway also makes the squad after breaking the Patriot League career tackles record and becoming the 29th football player in League history to make the All-League team four times. The Mountain Hawks placed a League-high seven student-athletes on the team, with the Bison and Spiders each having five representatives. The Crusaders had four players recognized, with Fordham and Georgetown with three selections apiece. Colgate and Lafayette each placed two players on the 2025 Patriot League Football Preseason Poll.
Voting for the Preseason All-Patriot League Football Team, the offensive and defensive player of the year, and the preseason poll was completed by Patriot League football head coaches and football athletics communications contacts from the eight League schools. They were prohibited from voting for their team or student-athletes.
2025 Patriot League Football Offensive Player of the Year
Ralph Rucker IV, Bucknell, 5th, 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 earned Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year honors after leading the League and ranking 10th in the FCS in passing yards per game (256.9) and 11th in passing touchdowns (25).
*He collected five Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week awards while posting a .672 completion percentage, 12th-best in the FCS and the fifth-best single-season mark in League history, with his 22.18 yards per completion ranking 10th in the nation.
*The senior signal-caller led Bucknell’s offense to a League-leading 387.6 yards of total offense per game, while also leading the League in passing offense (268.3) and finishing second in scoring offense (28.8), helping the Bison go 4-2 in League play.
2025 Patriot League Football Defensive Player of the Year
Matt Spatny, Lehigh, Sr., DL, Medina, Ohio/Medina
2024 Stats: 12 GP, 36 total tackles, 11.5 TFL for 68 yards, 11.5 sacks,1 pass defended
*Spatny collected First Team All-Patriot League and honorable mention AP All-America accolades after helping lead Lehigh to its first League title since 2017.
*The Medina, Ohio native led the Patriot League and ranked third in NCAA DI FCS in sacks per game (0.96), while finishing third in the League with 11.5 TFLs.
*He helped the Mountain Hawks possess the best total defense in the League, allowing 303.8 yards per game, to rank 11th in the FCS. Lehigh’s scoring defense also led the League, finishing 24th in the FCS (21.6 points per game).
2025 Preseason All-Patriot League Football by the Numbers (2024 Stats)
Twenty-three of the preseason All-League selections earned 2024 All-Patriot League accolades, including 13 first-team selections. Rucker, the reigning offensive player of the year, two-time first-teamer Treyvhon Saunders (Sr., WR) of Colgate, along with Holy Cross’ Jayden Clerveaux (Jr., RB), Max Mosey (Sr., WR) and Lehigh’s Langston Jones (Sr., OL) return from the offense. On defense, Spatny, Lehigh teammates TJ Burke (Sr., DL) and Nick Peltekian (Sr., DB) and Fordham’s Conway are back. Four of the five first-team specialists return from 2024, including Bucknell’s TJ Cadden (Jr., RS/WR), Sam Milligan (Jr., STNS), Colgate’s Luke Vogeler (Jr., PK) and Fordham’s Will Haslett (Gr., P).
Ten more preseason selections received second-team honors last season, including Bucknell’s John Ohnegian (Sr., OL), the defending Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Georgetown’s Cooper Blomstrom (Jr., DL), Jimmy Kibble (Sr., WR) and GianCarlo Rufo (Jr., LB), Holy Cross’ Cam Jones (Jr., DB) and Cam Nolan (Sr., OL), Lafayette’s Dylan Aguilera (Sr., LS) and Elijah Steward (Sr., WR) and Lehigh’s Aidan Palmer (Sr., OL) and Luke Yoder (Jr., RB) were also second-team honorees. Richmond’s Camden Byrd (Sr., DL) and Carter Glassmyer (Sr., LB) received Second Team All-CAA honors after the 2024 season.
Patriot League Returning Stats Leaders
*Bucknell’s Rucker IV returns after leading the League in passing efficiency (151.5), passing TDs (25), passing yards per game (256.9), passing yards per completion (13.63) and points responsible for per game (15.8).
*Lehigh Jr. RB Luke Yoder and Holy Cross Jr. RB Jayden Clerveaux are the League’s returning leading rushers, finishing with 1,014 and 942 yards, respectively.
*Clerveaux is the League’s returning leader in touchdown rushes after finishing second last season with 11. Lehigh’s Yoder and So. RB Jaden Green tied for second with 10.
*Colgate Sr. WR Treyvhon Saunders led the League in receptions (88) and is the returning leader in receiving yards (831).
*Holy Cross Sr. WR Max Mosey led the League with 19.3 yards per reception and was tied for third with six touchdown catches.
*Georgetown Jr. LB GianCarlo Rufo is the League’s returning leader in tackles (91) after finishing fifth last season.
*Lehigh’s Spatny led the League with 11.5 sacks, while Georgetown Jr. DL Cooper Blomstrom is the returning leader in TFLs (12.5), after finishing second last season.
*Holy Cross Jr. DB is the League’s returning leader in passes defended (11) after tying for third at the conclusion of last season.
*Lehigh Sr. DB Nick Peltekian is the League’s returning leader after recording four interceptions last season.
*Colgate Jr. PK Luke Vogeler connected on a League-best 86.7 field goals (13-of-15) with a long of 51 yards last season.
*Fordham Gr. P Will Haslett placed second last season and is the League’s returning leader, averaging 42.0 yards per punt in 2024.
2025 Patriot League Football Preseason Poll
1. Lehigh, 97 (13 first-place votes)
2. Richmond, 83 (3)
3. Holy Cross, 78
4. Bucknell, 51
5. Lafayette, 47
6. Georgetown, 32
7. Colgate, 31
8. Fordham, 29
2025 Patriot League Football Major Awards
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year – Ralph Rucker IV, Bucknell, 5th., QB
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year – Matt Spatny, Lehigh, Sr., DL
2025 Preseason All-Patriot League Football Team
OFFENSE (14)*
QB: Ralph Rucker IV, Bucknell, 5th
RB: Jayden Clerveaux, Holy Cross, Jr.
RB: Luke Yoder, Lehigh, Jr.
WR: Treyvhon Saunders, Colgate, Sr.
WR: Jimmy Kibble, Georgetown, Sr.
WR: Max Mosey, Holy Cross, Sr.
WR: Elijah Steward, Lafayette, Sr.
TE: Sean Clarke, Richmond, Sr.
OL: John Ohnegian, Bucknell, Sr.
OL: Cam Nolan, Holy Cross, Sr.
OL: Langston Jones, Lehigh, Sr.
OL: Aidan Palmer, Lehigh, Sr.
OL: Gabe Carbajal, Richmond, 5th
OL: Scott Hummel, Richmond, 5th
DEFENSE: (12)
DL: Cooper Blomstrom, Georgetown, Jr.
DL: TJ Burke, Lehigh, Sr.
DL: Matt Spatny, Lehigh, Sr.
DL: Camden Byrd, Richmond, Sr.
LB: James Conway, Fordham, Gr.
LB: GianCarlo Rufo, Georgetown, Jr.
LB: Brycen Edwards, Lehigh, Sr.
LB: Carter Glassmyer, Richmond, Sr.
DB: Aaron Davis, Bucknell, Sr.
DB: Alex Kemper, Fordham, Sr.
DB: Cam Jones, Holy Cross, Jr.
DB: Nick Peltekian, Lehigh, Sr.
SPECIAL TEAMS (5)
K: Luke Vogeler, Colgate, Jr.
P: Will Haslett, Fordham, Gr.
RS: TJ Cadden, Bucknell, Jr.
STNS: Sam Milligan, Bucknell, Jr.
LS: Dylan Aguilera, Lafayette, Sr.
*An additional student-athlete was selected to the offense due to a tie in the 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 that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.