BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Reigning Patriot League Football Offensive Player of the Year Luke Yoder (Sr., RB) of Lehigh and Richmond’s Camden Byrd (Gr., DL) were selected as the 2026 Patriot League Football Preseason Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively. Villanova earned the top spot in the 2026 preseason poll as the League announced honors during the 2026 Patriot League Preseason Football Show on ESPN+.
Yoder and Byrd highlight the 31-member Preseason All-Patriot League Team. The preseason favorite Wildcats earned a League-high seven spots on the preseason squad, with Ja’briel Mace (Jr., RB/RS) collecting two at running back and return specialist. Richmond received six preseason All-League selections, while the two-time defending League champion Mountain Hawks had five representatives.
Colgate and William & Mary each had four selections, with Bucknell, Fordham and Lafayette each placing two student-athletes on the preseason team. Georgetown and Holy Cross had one preseason honoree apiece.
Villanova (12-3, 7-1 CAA) received 79 points and seven first-place votes after head coach Mark Ferrante led the Wildcats to the semifinal round of the 2025 NCAA Division I FCS Championship. Lehigh (12-1, 7-0 PL), which earned the No. 5 seed in last season’s FCS playoffs, finished second in the preseason poll with 75 points and three first-place votes. Historic rivals Richmond (7-5, 3-4 PL) and William & Mary (7-5, 6-2 CAA) tied for third with 57 points and Lafayette (8-4, 6-1 PL) rounded out the top five with 55 points.
Holy Cross (3-9, 3-4 PL), which has claimed at least a share of six of the last seven League crowns, ranked sixth in the preseason poll with 38 points, while Colgate (5-7, 3-4 PL) finished close behind with 36 points. Fordham (1-11, 1-6 PL) and Georgetown (6-6, 3-4 PL) tied for eighth and Bucknell (5-7, 2-5 PL) rounded out the 2026 preseason poll.
Voting for the Preseason All-Patriot League Football Team, the Preseason Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year, and the preseason poll was completed by Patriot League football head coaches from the 10 League schools. They were prohibited from voting for their own team or student-athletes.
2026 Patriot League Football Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Luke Yoder, Lehigh, Sr., RB, Palm Harbor, Fla./East Lake
2025 Statistics: 13 GP, 198 carries, 1,425 rushing yards (108.4 ypg), 7.10 yards per carry, 15 TDs
*Yoder, a two-time All-Patriot League selection and 2025 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, ranked among the League and FCS leaders in rushing yards (1,409), rushing touchdowns (15) and rushing yards per carry (7.1).
*He helped the Mountain Hawks’ finish among the FCS top-12 in rushing offense in each of the last two seasons on their way to two straight League titles.
* The Palm Harbor, Fla., native earned Patriot League and Stats Perform National FCS Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for a career-high 234 yards and four touchdowns against Lafayette to clinch the League title and a berth in the FCS Playoffs.
2026 Patriot League Football Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Camden Byrd, Richmond, Gr., DL, Ashland, Va./Patrick Henry
2025 Statistics: 12 GP, 34 total tackles 18 solo), 11.5 TFLs of 83 yards, 8.5 sacks, 3 FF, 6 QBH
*Byrd is the Patriot League’s returning leader in tackles for loss (11.5), sacks (8.5) and forced fumbles (3). His 83 tackles for loss yards ranked second in the League last season.
*The Ashland, Va., native helped the Spiders rank second in the League in total defense (290.8) and scoring defense (22.7) last season.
*He earned Second Team All-Patriot League honors last season after being selected Second Team All-CAA in 2024.
2026 Preseason All-Patriot League Football by the Numbers (2025 Stats)
Fifteen of the 2026 Preseason All-Patriot League Football Team selections earned All-Patriot League honors at the conclusion of the 2025 season, including seven first-team honorees. Lehigh’s Yoder, the reigning offensive player of the year, and teammates Hayden Johnson (Jr., QB), Aidan Palmer (5th, OL) and Holy Cross’ Cam Nolan (5th, OL) return from the offense. Richmond’s Jordan Allen (Gr., DB) is back from last season’s first-team defense and Bucknell’s Sam Milligan (Sr., STNS) and Lehigh’s Connor Poole (Jr., P) are back from the first-team special teams unit. Milligan made the first team as a special-teams non-specialist.
Nine more preseason selections received second-team honors in 2025, including Bucknell’s Milligan (Sr., WR), Lafayette’s Sean Wilson (Sr., OL) and Richmond’s Aziz Foster-Powell (Sr., RB) on offense. On defense, Richmond’s Byrd, Tayshaun Burney (Jr., DB) and Carter Glassmyer (Gr., LB), Colgate’s Tymir Wynn (Sr., DB) and Georgetown’s Chigozie Oge-Evans (Sr., DL) return. Colgate’s Luke Vogeler (Sr., PK) also earned second-team All-Patriot League honors last season.
Four more preseason All-Patriot League selections earned All-CAA honors last season, including Mace, the 2025 CAA Special Teams Player of the Year. Villanova’s Braden Reed (So., WR) earned Third Team All-CAA honors as a punt returner last season. William & Mary’s Stephon Hicks (Jr., LB) earned first-team special teams in the CAA after leading the FCS with four blocked kicks. The Tribe’s Sean McElwain (Sr., TE) was a Third Team All-CAA honoree.
Patriot League Football Returning Stats Leaders
*Lehigh’s Luke Yoder ranked second in the FCS, averaging 7.12 yard per carry. He is seventh in League history, averaging 5.83 yards per carry through his career.
*Yoder was in the 11th in the FCS with 15 rushing touchdowns and 28th in the nation with 7.4 points per game. He was seventh in the nation with 108.4 yards per game and eighth in the nation with 1,409 rushing yards.
*Lehigh’s Hayden Johnson led the League and ranked 16th in the FCS in passing efficiency (154.2).
*Lehigh’s Johnson and Colgate’s Jake Stearney (Sr., QB) tied for second in the League and 34th in the FCS with 18 touchdown passes.
*Villanova’s Ja’briel Mace (Jr., RB) ranked second in the FCS in kickoff returns (31.4 ypr) and first in kickoff return touchdowns (2). 14th in the FCS in all-purpose yards per game (125.47)
*Bucknell’s Sam Milligan (Sr., WR) led the League and ranked 11th in the FCS with 10 touchdown receptions.
*Lafayette’s Carson Persing (Sr, WR) ranked third in the League and 36th in the FCS with 5.0 receptions per game.
*Richmond’s Camden Byrd (Gr., DL) ranked 25th in the FCS in sacks per game (0.71) and fourth in forced fumbles per game (0.25).
*Bucknell’s Brandon Biagiarelli (Jr., LB) ranked 31st in the nation, averaging 8.7 tackles per game, while Fordham’s Andrew Osmun (Sr., LB) was 46th with 8.3 tackles per game.
*William & Mary’s Stephon Hicks (Jr., LB) tied for the FCS lead with four blocked kicks.
2026 Patriot League Football Preseason Poll
1. Villanova, 79 points (7 first-place votes)
2. Lehigh, 75 (3)
T3. Richmond, 57
T3. William & Mary, 57
5. Lafayette, 55
6. Holy Cross, 38
7. Colgate, 36
T8. Fordham, 19
T8. Georgetown, 19
10. Bucknell, 15
2026 Patriot League Football Major Awards
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year – Luke Yoder, Lehigh, Sr., RB
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year – Camden Byrd, Richmond, Gr., DL
2026 Preseason All-Patriot League Football Team
OFFENSE (14)*
QB: Hayden Johnson, Lehigh, Jr.
RB: Luke Yoder, Lehigh, Sr.
RB: Aziz Foster-Powell, Richmond, Sr.
RB: Ja’briel Mace, Villanova, Jr.
WR: Sam Milligan, Bucknell, Sr.
WR: Winston Moore, Colgate, Sr.
WR: Carson Persing, Lafayette, Sr.
WR: Braden Reed, Villanova, So.
TE: Sean McElwain, William & Mary, Sr.
OL: Cam Nolan, Holy Cross, 5th-year
OL: Sean Wilson, Lafayette, Sr.
OL: Aidan Palmer, Lehigh, 5th-year
OL: Ronald Anderson, Richmond, Sr.
OL: Chris McCullers, Villanova, Jr.
DEFENSE (13)*
DL: Chigozie Oge-Evans, Georgetown, Sr.
DL: Camden Byrd, Richmond, Gr.
DL: Capri Martin, Villanova, Sr.
DL: Davin Dzidzienyo, William & Mary, Gr.
LB: Brandon Biagiarelli, Bucknell, Jr.
LB: Trooper Price, Colgate, Sr.
LB: Andrew Osmun, Fordham, Sr.
LB: Carter Glassmyer, Richmond, Gr.
LB: Omari Bursey, Villanova, So.
DB: Tymir Wynn, Colgate, Sr.
DB: Jordan Allen, Richmond, Gr.
DB: Tayshaun Burney, Richmond, Jr.
DB: Bryce Barnes, William & Mary, Sr.
SPECIAL TEAMS: (5)
PK: Luke Vogeler, Colgate, Sr.
P: Connor Poole, Lehigh, Jr.
RS: Ja’briel Mace, Villanova, Jr.
LS: Mike Doctor, Fordham, Sr.
Special Teams Non-Specialist (STNS): Stephon Hicks, William & Mary, Jr.
*Additional student-athletes selected to offense and defense due to ties in the voting
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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.