BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Eight Patriot League football student-athletes earned 2026 Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America honors when it was announced. Defending League champion Lehigh placed three players on the three teams, Richmond had two honorees, and Bucknell, Holy Cross and Villanova each had one student-athlete recognized.
Lehigh senior running back Luke Yoder, the reigning Patriot League Football Offensive Player of the Year, and Villanova junior running back/return specialist Ja’briel Mace were selected to the Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America First Team. Last season, Yoder rushed for 1,409 yards and 15 touchdowns to lead the Mountain Hawks to their second straight League crown. Mace , the CAA Football Special Teams Player of the Year, earned a preseason All-America nod as a kick returner after averaging 32.0 yards per return and two touchdowns during a First Team All-America 2025 campaign.
Four League student-athletes earned FCS Preseason All-America Second Team honors. Bucknell senior wide receiver Sam Milligan, a 2025 First Team All-Patriot League selection, led the League and finished among the FCS leaders with 10 touchdown receptions last season. Lehigh fifth-year offensive lineman Aidan Palmer, a two-time All-League selection and 2025 AP All-America honorable mention, earned preseason accolades. Richmond graduate student defensive lineman Camden Byrd and graduate student linebacker Carter Glassmyer earned spots on the second team after earning All-Patriot League honors last season.
Holy Cross fifth-year offensive lineman Cam Nolan and Lehigh fifth-year defensive back Nick Peltekian were selected to the preseason All-America third team to round out the Patriot League honorees. Nolan is a two-time All-Patriot League selection and 2025 William V. Campbell Trophy semifinalist. Peltekian is a two-time All-League honoree.
Widespread Talent Fills 2026 Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America Team | Opta Analyst
2026 Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America First Team
Luke Yoder, Lehigh, RB, Sr.
Ja’briel Mace, Villanova, KR, Jr.
2026 Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America Second Team
Sam Milligan, Bucknell, WR, Sr.
Aidan Palmer, Lehigh, OL, 5th Year
Camden Byrd, Richmond, DL, Gr.
Carter Glassmyer, Richmond, LB, Gr.
2026 Stats Perform FCS Preseason All-America Third Team
Cam Nolan, Holy Cross, OL, 5th Year
Nick Peltekian, Lehigh, DB, 5th Year
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.