Three things to know about Villanova before its football season kicks off

After advancing to the FCS quarterfinals in 2021, Villanova took a step back last year, going 6-5 overall and finishing seventh in the Coastal Athletic Association despite entering the season ranked No. 6 in the FCS top 25.

Coming off the disappointing season, the Wildcats are picked to finish seventh in the CAA preseason coaches’ poll and are unranked in the top 25 — although they did receive votes. On Saturday, Villanova opens its season on the road at Lehigh (noon, ESPN+), marking the third consecutive year the Wildcats will open against the Mountain Hawks.

Here are three things you need to know about Villanova before the football season begins:

After playing sparingly during his first three seasons on the Main Line, Connor Watkins became Villanova’s starting quarterback last season. He had an up-and-down year, throwing for 2,057 yards and 16 touchdowns, but he added 11 interceptions and completed only 54.9% of his passes.

Watkins returned to Villanova as a graduate student and will be coach Mark Ferrante’s starter once again.

“He’s getting a much better grasp of the offense,” Ferrante said during his media availability earlier in the week. “He’s been in the meeting room ... for three, four years now, but as a first-year starter, it’s just different when you’re out there.”

Last season, consistency was an issue for Watkins. He had a couple of big games (see his four touchdowns in last year’s season opener against Lehigh) but he followed that up with four interceptions against LIU a week later.

Watkins relied on his legs a lot last season, running the ball 83 times for 467 yards and nine touchdowns, but this offseason, Ferrante has seen development from Watkins as a processor.

“We have seen a lot of growth in his leadership,” Ferrante said. “We’ve seen a lot of growth in his decision-making. He’s probably going to read the defense a little better now as opposed to maybe pulling it down and running with it a little early at times a year ago. So Connor has done a really good job through spring practice into preseason, and we’re hoping that progress continues as we get into the regular season.”

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Despite the transfer portal being flooded with players, Villanova has done a fantastic job at retaining continuity.

On the offensive side, all five players who rushed for at least 100 yards last season are back, and two of the three leading receivers returned as well.

Wideout Jaaron Hayek, who was an All-CAA first-team selection last year with 810 receiving yards and eight touchdowns, returned to Villanova for a graduate year. He and graduate offensive lineman Michael Corbi were named to the preseason all-conference team.

Standout sophomore linebacker Shane Hartzell, who led the team in tackles (74) and sacks (four), is back, along with senior linebacker Brendan Bell. The Wildcats also return key secondary players in Jalen Goodman, Elijah Glover, and Isas Waxter.

While the Wildcats mainly are led by experienced players, there are some new faces who have stood out to Ferrante during the offseason.

Of the freshmen, Ferrante mentioned that defensive lineman Capri Martin, linebacker Jason Hall, and defensive back Zahmir Dawud have “done some nice things.”

“We’re just trying to build the depth chart, and maybe those guys could be guys that might help us along the way during the course of the long season,” Ferrante said. “But those are some guys that have gotten noticed.”

Ferrante also noted that defensive line transfers Chandon Pierre (North Dakota), Jake Reichwein (Holy Cross), and Camden Gagnon (Brown) have “been a nice addition to the roster.”

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