Villanova’s journey back to the FCS playoffs started in a linebacker’s dorm room

Some say Villanova’s run to the FCS playoffs started with its first game in September. Others say it started with summer workouts. Some point back to 2019, when the core of Villanova’s team got to campus as freshmen.

But for those who know — those who really know — it started in December 2022, in linebacker Danny Abraham’s dorm room.

The Wildcats, who host Youngstown State (7-4) on Saturday (noon, ESPN+) with a quarterfinal berth on the line, had just finished a disappointing 6-5 campaign. They’d beaten No. 20 Delaware in the season finale, but in the two previous games, Villanova had been blown out. The team, battered by injuries, struggled to throw the ball on offense and to stop the run on defense. The culture wasn’t where it needed to be, so the players met with a singular focus: Don’t let 2022 happen again.

The veterans called the meeting, bringing together 20 to 25 of the team’s older players. While two captains, running back DeeWil Barlee and safety Elijah Glover, helped lead, the players made clear that the floor was open to anyone. Everyone got the chance to speak up.

“We just decided this is what our culture is going to be this year,” graduate quarterback Connor Watkins said. “Upperclassmen are going to have to lead by example and be vocal with those underclassmen.”

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The meeting made an immediate difference. In 2022, Watkins remembered subpar winter workouts on a snowy Villanova Stadium field. In 2023, when the team was met with the same cold conditions, the standards didn’t dip the way they had before.

“We held each other accountable,” Watkins said. “Like some days, if an older guy came in and was kind of off their game, having another guy step in and be like, ‘Hey, remember what we talked about,’ or, ‘Remember the standard that we want to set.’ And then it just kind of kicks that guy right back into gear.”

Improvements were gradual, but coach Mark Ferrante saw the difference. In 2022, Ferrante’s offense had a few locker-room issues. There’s been none of that this season. Ferrante said players have been on time and haven’t missed workouts, largely because this has been a player-led team.

“It’s obviously carried from that [meeting] all the way to where we are now,” Ferrante said.

Still, it took a while to see whether the difference in the locker room would translate onto the field. After failing to live up to high expectations going into 2022, the Wildcats received just one vote in the 2023 preseason FCS coaches poll. They steamrolled weak competition in the first two weeks, then were dominated by FBS Central Florida in Week 3. After beating No. 17 Rhode Island in Week 4, Villanova committed five turnovers and lost at Albany in Week 5. With a 3-2 record, the season could have gone in any direction.

Instead, the Wildcats have reeled off six consecutive wins. They earned a share of the CAA title and the No. 8 seed in the FCS playoffs.

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Leadership has been the key. The Wildcats have 19 graduate students on the roster, as well as 12 seniors. Of the graduate students, 12 were with Villanova in 2019, when the Wildcats lost in the first round of the playoffs. Several starred in 2021, when Villanova lost in the FCS quarterfinals. In an era of college football when it’s easier than ever to leave, Villanova’s players have stayed.

“You just create that culture of, ‘OK, we know that we’re good enough here. You don’t have to go somewhere else,’” Watkins said. “... This is a group of guys that you want to fight for. This is a group of guys that you want to play with. This is a coaching staff that does a great job and are players-first coaches. So you form those bonds with those guys, and then it kind of makes it more like a family than it is a team. You don’t want to let your family down.”

Like any family, the Wildcats are competitive with each other. Defensive coordinator Ross Pennypacker created a mindset called “Stage Five: Life is Good, It’s All About Us” to motivate his defense.

“We go out and we eat breakfast and we just joke around like, ‘Let’s compete today,’” Abraham said. “Even though we’re playing against the other team, we’re having fun competing against each other out there. So [if] he gets a good play, then I have to get a good play. So [we’re] just competing against each other and having fun.”

Those little things have accumulated, leading to Villanova’s playoff push. Ferrante hadn’t heard about the dorm-room meeting until Watkins told him about it a week ago, but it’s clear: Last year’s December meeting has allowed the Wildcats to play meaningful games this December.

“There’s only 16 [FCS] teams that get the opportunity to still be playing football at this time of the year,” Watkins said. “We’re just excited that we’re one of those teams.”

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