BETHLEHEM, Pa. – William & Mary collected three of the four Patriot League football weekly awards when the League office announced its first set of honors for the 2026 season. Colgate received the remaining weekly accolade.
W&M’s Cade Ellis (Fr., S) was voted Patriot League Defensive Player and Rookie of the Week, intercepting two passes in his collegiate debut, with his second coming with seconds remaining to set up the game-winning field goal in a 35-32 comeback win over No. 7/8 Villanova.
The Tribe’s Max Lipinski (Jr., PK) earned Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Week after connecting on all five of his field goal attempts, including a game-winning 45-yard boot in the dramatic comeback win against the Wildcats.
Colgate’s Danny Shaban (Jr., RB) captured Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week honors after rushing for 214 yards and two touchdowns in the Raiders’ 24-14 win over Fordham.
Lehigh’s Nick Peltekian (5th, DB) and Luke Yoder (Sr., RB), Richmond’s Bryce Allen (Fr., WR), Camden Byrd (Gr., DE) and Ned Gray (So., P), Villanova’s Omari Bursey (So., LB) and William & Mary’s Winston Watkins (Jr., QB) received honorable mentions for their performances in Week Zero.
The Patriot League football players of the week are selected in a vote by League media members and each school’s football athletics communications contacts, who are not eligible to vote for their student-athletes.
2026 Patriot League Football Standings (as of Aug. 31)
| School |
PL |
PL Pct. |
Overall |
Overall Pct. |
| Colgate |
1-0 |
1.000 |
1-0 |
1.000 |
| Lehigh |
1-0 |
1.000 |
1-0 |
1.000 |
| Richmond |
1-0 |
1.000 |
1-0 |
1.000 |
| William & Mary |
1-0 |
1.000 |
1-0 |
1.000 |
| Georgetown |
0-0 |
.000 |
0-0 |
.000 |
| Lafayette |
0-0 |
.000 |
0-0 |
.000 |
| Bucknell |
0-1 |
.000 |
0-1 |
.000 |
| Fordham |
0-1 |
.000 |
0-1 |
.000 |
| Holy Cross |
0-1 |
.000 |
0-1 |
.000 |
| Villanova |
0-1 |
.000 |
0-1 |
.000 |
ONLINE SCHEDULE |
ONLINE STATS
Patriot League Football Offensive Player of the Week
Danny Shaban, Colgate, Jr., RB, Redding, Conn./Joel Barlow
*Shaban rushed for a career-high 214 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries to lead Colgate to a 24-14 victory at Fordham. He also had three receptions for 26 yards.
*The junior running back scored the first touchdown of the game in the first quarter, then sealed the Raiders’ victory with a 29-yard touchdown run with 1:53 remaining in the fourth quarter.
*He is Colgate’s first 200-yard rusher since Nov. 3, 2012, when Gavin McCarney (288) and Jordan McCord (203) accomplished the feat in the same game.
Patriot League Football Defensive Player and Rookie of the Week
Cade Ellis, William & Mary, Fr., S, Orange, Va./Woodberry Forest
*Ellis intercepted two passes in his collegiate debut, to help the Tribe to a 35-32 comeback victory over No. 7/8 Villanova.
*The freshman safety intercepted his second pass of the game with seconds remaining, returning it 24 yards to set up the game-winning field goal.
*He intercepted his first pass of the game in the second quarter after the Wildcats crossed into W&M territory.
Patriot League Football Special Teams Player of the Week
Max Lipinski, William & Mary, Jr., PK, King George, Va./King George
*Lipinski broke a William & Mary single-game record with five field goals, including the game-winning 45-yarder as time expired on a 35-32 victory over No. 7/8 Villanova.
*The junior placekicker also connected on a 40-yard field goal with 53 seconds left in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to seven points.
*He made all five of his field-goal attempts (22, 39, 41, 40, 45), finishing with 17 points.
Honorable Mentions
Nick Peltekian, Lehigh, 5th-year, DB, Mahwah, N.J./Deerfield Academy
*Peltekian posted eight tackles and an interception in the Mountain Hawks’ 35-10 win at Holy Cross. He returned his sixth career interception 28 yards to set up Luke Yoder’s third rushing touchdown of the game.
Luke Yoder, Lehigh, Sr., RB, Palm Harbor, Fla./East Lake
*Yoder rushed for 130 yards and three touchdowns to lead Lehigh to a 35-10 victory at Holy Cross. The reigning Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year recorded his 12th 100-yard rushing game and moved into fifth place on Lehigh’s career rushing touchdowns list (33).
Bryce Allen, Richmond, Fr., WR, Frisco, Texas/Rock Hill
*Allen finished with four receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns in his collegiate debut to lead the Spiders to a 35-14 win over Bucknell. He became Richmond’s first freshman since at least 1949 to record 100 or more receiving yards in a season opener.
Camden Byrd, Richmond, Gr., DE, Ashland, Va./Patrick Henry
*Byrd recorded a career-high three sacks while helping Richmond hold Bucknell to 187 yards of total offense in a 35-14 win. The Patriot League Preseason Defensive Player of the Year’s three sacks were for a loss of 20 yards, helping the Spiders hold the Bison to just 32 rushing yards on 29 carries. He added a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry, while Richmond’s defense held Bucknell scoreless until late in the third quarter.
Ned Gray, Richmond, So., P, Melbourne, Australia/St. Leonard’s
*Gray averaged 44.9 yards per punt on eight attempts with a long of 57 yards in the Spiders’ 35-14 win over Bucknell. The Melbourne, Australia, native placed three punts inside the Bucknell 20-yard line, including two inside the five-yard line. He had two punts of more than 50 yards.
Omari Bursey, Villanova, So., LB, Brookfield, Colo./Legacy
*Bursey posted Week Zero Patriot League-highs of 15 tackles and 4.0 tackles for loss (TFL) in the Wildcats’ loss. He had one sack and eight solo tackles against the Tribe.
Winston Watkins, William & Mary, Jr., QB, Pasadena, Md./Mount Saint Josephs
*Watkins led the Tribe to a 35-32 comeback win over No. 7/8 Villanova, including a game-tying, 37-yard touchdown pass to Kai Austin with 22 seconds left in the game. He completed 19-of-33 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 72 yards and another touchdown on 21 carries.
Offensive Player of the Week
8.31 – Danny Shaban, Colgate, Jr., RB
Defensive Player of the Week
8.31 – Cade Ellis, William & Mary, Fr., S
Special Teams Player of the Week
8.31 – Max Lipinski, William & Mary, Jr., PK
Rookie of the Week
8.31 – Cade Ellis, William & Mary, Fr., S
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.