It’s family first in football and life for Villanova wide receiver Rayjoun Pringle

Villanova wide receiver Rayjoun Pringle’s game-day routine reflects his overall outlook on the game of football: it’s all about family.

Pringle wakes up on Saturday mornings, calls his mother, sister and brother, and then turns his phone off until Villanova’s game is over.

“They definitely stay in my ear,” Pringle said. “Even when I’m doing good, just making sure that I’m working harder, not just on the field but off the field, too. They definitely pushed me to be a better man.”

Not only has Pringle been pushed to be a good person, he has also become a star for 4-1 Villanova football, which plays at Albany on Saturday. After appearing in eight games his freshman year, the Dumfries, Va., native started all four games of the coronavirus-shortened spring season as a sophomore, and was named second-team All CAA. It should be no surprise, then, that Pringle has taken his game to an even higher level this season.

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“Rayjoun is a guy who had some success early, and now we’re just working to get him to have more continued success at a more consistent level,” head coach Mark Ferrante said. “He’s still growing at the position, but he’s stringing along a couple of big games and we’re hoping that string continues.”

One of those big games was last weekend’s dramatic 28-27 win over James Madison. Pringle caught what proved to be the winning touchdown, a 57-yard score from quarterback Daniel Smith late in the third quarter, to stun the Dukes and snap their 16-game winning streak against CAA opponents.

“I see the play called on the sideline, and I kind of think the play is going to work,” Pringle said. “It’s just me and Dan and the timing, and me getting under the ball and scoring it. It definitely felt amazing when I did it to take the lead for the game.”

According to Ferrante, high-pressure situations like these don’t faze Pringle.

“I think he’s the type of guy that the bigger the game and the brighter lights, the more excited he gets,” Ferrante said. “I think he is capable of making some big plays; he has made some for us. He thrives in those types of situations and environments and he wants to be the go-to guy.”

On the field, Pringle is a go-to guy specifically for Smith, who Ferrante says knows where to go with the ball, but tends to look for Pringle. This synergy has seen the two hook up for 17 completions, 334 yards, and five touchdowns in five games (Pringle also caught one pass from backup quarterback Connor Watkins for a 49-yard touchdown). The pair’s success in big spots is thanks to lots of off-field prep work together.

“We definitely have a connection; we always talk on and off the field,” Pringle said. “He [Smith] comes in my room every day and we just talk and watch film together, you know; he lets me know where he needs me to be and what I need him to do and we just go out there on Saturdays and execute.”

Executing has not been much of a problem this season for the 5-foo-9 wideout, who leads the team in receptions (18), receiving yards (383), and receiving touchdowns (6). Pringle, though, is completely focused on winning.

“I want to win for the program, really, just the ones that came before us,” Pringle said. “I want to win the game with my brothers and seeing all the hard work we put in this offseason; I just know how bad the seniors want to win.”

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“[Pringle] is a guy who just bounces around all the time; he’s never standing still, whether he’s in the game or on the sideline, he’s always active and moving and he’s just having a good time out there and he has a lot of passion for football,” Ferrante said. “He definitely seems to be buying into the things we talked about, you know, academics, athletics, and being a good person, and he fits all three values.”

Pringle picked Villanova’s program because of these values, and considers being a part of the team to be a “blessing.” And while he’s out there playing with his Villanova family, he remembers why he is doing it: for his family at home. That’s why it is so important that they are the only people he reaches out to on game days.

“It shows me my why,” Pringle said. “Why I’m doing this. Why I trained so hard and play so hard. For my brother and sister, just showing them that there’s more to life than just staying at home or staying where I’m from. So that’s really what makes me call them in the morning. Without them, I wouldn’t be here today.”