The University of Richmond football team was picked to finish fourth overall in the Colonial Athletic Association Football preseason poll and two Spiders were honored with preseason All-Conference honors Thursday morning during the CAA Virtual Media Day, according to a vote from the league’s head coaches and media relations directors.
Earning preseason All-Conference honors for the Spiders were redshirt senior kick returner Aaron Dykes (Knoxville, Tenn.) and redshirt junior linebacker Tristan Wheeler (Bethlehem, Pa.). Both Dykes and Wheeler are two of the Spiders’ three team captains this season.
Richmond finished last year with a 6-5 overall record, winning its final four games of the season finishing fourth in the conference. The Spiders enter the 2022 season carrying the longest active winning streak in the conference. The Spiders return 14 starters from last season’s team, seven each on offense and defense, while adding some pivotal transfers and freshmen to the mix.
Dykes is a two-time All-CAA selection as a kick returner, earning First Team All-CAA honors last fall. He enters 2022 second among all returning FCS kick returners with three career kickoff returns for touchdown and ranks fourth among all returners with 1,501 kickoff return yards. Last season, Dykes averaged 27.3 yards per kickoff return, ranking second all-time in program history in a single season, trailing only Justin Rogers’ 30.4 yard average in 2004.
Dykes recorded 492 kickoff return yards in 2021, including a 98-yard return for a score against Villanova. That marked his third career kickoff return for a touchdown after posting two returns to the house against Delaware in 2019. He also finished the year with 1,197 all-purpose yards last season and scored 11 total touchdowns.
Wheeler is a three-time All-CAA selection, including back-to-back First Team All-Conference accolades. He was named Second Team All-America by Stats Perform last fall and was a First Team Sophomore All-America honoree by HERO Sports. He led the team and the CAA in total tackles in the regular season with 114. He ranked eighth in the nation in total tackles and tackles per game (10.4). He enters the season with 256 total tackles in 27 career games.
Wheeler was a Buck Buchanan Award Watch List honoree last fall and has posted back-to-back full seasons with over 100 tackles. He was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award during the shortened spring season in 2021 after posting 38 tackles in four games. Wheeler was the CAA Defensive Rookie of the Year and a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award given to the nation’s top freshman in 2019.
Defending conference co-champion Villanova was picked to finish first overall in the preseason poll with 270 points and 16 out of 26 votes. Delaware was picked second with 235 points (7 first place) while Rhode Island was third at 224 points. Richmond came in fourth at 219 points, followed by William & Mary (206), Elon (191), Stony Brook (151), Maine (134), New Hampshire (117), Monmouth (105), Towson (81), UAlbany (64) and Hampton (31). This marks the first year in the CAA for both Monmouth and Hampton.
Stony Brook running back Ty Son Lawton was chosen as preseason Offensive Player of the Year while William & Mary defensive lineman Nate Lynn was picked as preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
2022 CAA FOOTBALL PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
(Selected by a vote of Head Coaches and Media Relations Directors)
- Villanova , 270 (16 first place votes)
- Delaware, 235 (7)
- Rhode Island, 224
- Richmond, 219
- William & Mary, 206 (2)
- Elon, 191 (1)
- Stony Brook, 151
- Maine, 134
- New Hampshire, 117
- Monmouth, 105
- Towson, 81
- UAlbany, 64
- Hampton, 31
2022 CAA FOOTBALL PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
(Selected by a vote of Head Coaches and Media Relations Directors)
OFFENSE
Name, School
QB – Tony Muskett, Monmouth
RB – Ty Son Lawton, Stony Brook
RB – Bronson Yoder, William & Mary
FB – Luke Hamilton, Towson
WR – Jackson Parham, Elon
WR – Thyrick Pitts, Delaware
WR – Rayjoun Pringle, Villanova
TE – Caleb Warren, Rhode Island
OL – Michael Corbi, Villanova
OL – Nick Correia, Rhode Island
OL – Colin Gamroth, Villanova
OL – Michael Gerace, Maine
OL – Kyle Nunez, Stony Brook
DEFENSE
Name, School
DL – Artis Hemmingway, Delaware
DL – Nate Lynn, William & Mary
DL – Chase McGowan, Delaware
DL – Josiah Silver, New Hampshire
LB – Jackson Ambush, UAlbany
LB – Johnny Buchanan, Delaware
LB – Tyler King, Stony Brook
LB – KeShaun Moore, Hampton
LB – Tristan Wheeler, Richmond
CB – Jordan Jones, Rhode Island
CB – Ryan Poole, William & Mary
S – Cole Coleman, Elon
S – Kedrick Whitehead, Delaware
SPECIAL TEAMS
Name, School
KR – Aaron Dykes, Richmond
PR – Eddie Morales III, Monmouth
PK – Skyler Davis, Elon
P – Tyler Pastula, UAlbany
SPEC – TD Ayo-Durojaiye, Villanova
CAA FOOTBALL PRESEASON OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Ty Son Lawton, RB, Stony Brook
CAA FOOTBALL PRESEASON DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Nate Lynn, DL, William & Mary
Honorable mention: Nolan Henderson, QB, Delaware; Kasim Hill, QB, Rhode Island; Freddie Brock, RB, Maine; Juwon Farri, RB, Monmouth; Malachi Imoh, FB, William & Mary; Jadakis Bonds, WR, Hampton; Jaaron Hayek, WR, Villanova; Shawn Bowman, TE, Maine; Patrick Flynn, OL, New Hampshire; Colby Sorsdal, OL, William & Mary Anthony Lang, DL, UAlbany; Torrence Williams, DL, Elon; Evan Stewart, LB, Rhode Island; Tre’Von Jones, CB, Elon; Pop Bush, S, New Hampshire; Noah Plack, S, Delaware; D’Ago Hunter, KR/PR, Towson; Jourdan Townsend, PR, Delaware; Ryan Kost, P, Monmouth; Alex Washington, SPEC, William & Mary
