CHICAGO, Ill. ââ'¬" The Stats FCS Preseason All-American team was released on Thursday, July 9, and senior quarterback John Robertson (Paramus, N.J.) along with senior linebacker Don Cherry (Trumbull, Conn.) were both named to the squad. Both of these Wildcats were first team All-Americans last season.

Robertson is coming off a season for the ages. He finished the 2014 campaign by completing 197-of-301 passes (65.4%) with 35 touchdowns and three interceptions to go with 227 carries for a team-high 1,078 yards and 11 scores.

For his efforts last season, Robertson won the Walter Payton Award as the top player in all of FCS Football. Robertson joins Brian Westbrook (1997-2001) as the only two Villanova players to have three 1,000 yard rushing seasons. In seven of his 13 games last year, Robertson threw at least three touchdown passes.

A first team All-American and a first team All-CAA honoree in 2014 , Cherry started all 14 games a year ago and registered 134 total tackles (82 solo), 21.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, five forced fumbles, one interception and a fumble recovery. He tallied double figures in tackles in seven of the 14 games, including a career-high tying 16 stops in the quarterfinal playoff loss to Sam Houston State. His 134 tackles ranks as the 10th best single season effort in program history. Cherry also finished second in the Buck Buchanan Award balloting last year which is given to the top defensive player in FCS Football.

Villanova opens the 2015 season on Thursday, Sept. 3, when the Wildcats travel to Hartford Conn., to take on the Connecticut Huskies.