Official CAA Football Release | CAA Football Academic All-Conference Team

RICHMOND, Va.--Five football players who were named to the CAA Football All-Conference teams for the 2016 season were among the 42 student-athletes from Villanova who were named to the league's Academic All-Conference squad which was announced on Thursday afternoon. This is the second straight year that the Wildcats have garnered more than 40 all-academic honors, and the program continues to rank among the best in both CAA Football and nationwide for academic achievement.

Student-athletes are eligible for the Academic All-Conference team by having a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher. Villanova was one of four league teams that had at least 40 players named to the all-academic team, while the Wildcats had the most selections among the four CAA Football teams that advanced to postseason play. There were a total of 388 student-athletes honored league-wide for their academic performance.

Each of the three Villanova players who earned first team All-CAA honors in the fall were also on the Academic All-Conference list, led by league Defensive Player of the Year Tanoh Kpassagnon (Ambler, Pa.). Kpassagnon, a senior defensive end who is majoring in Finance, was a first team all-conference selection for the second straight season and is a highly coveted prospect in next month's NFL Draft.

Senior linebacker Austin Calitro (Danbury, Conn.) and junior safety Rob Rolle (Newfield, N.J.) also earned first team All-CAA accolades. Junior tight end Ryan Bell (Basking Ridge, N.J.) and senior punter John Hinchen (Saddle River, N.J.) were each third team all-conference selections and were among the 42 all-academic honorees.

Among the 42 academic all-conference honorees from the Wildcats were 25 student-athletes who earned the all-academic distinction for at least the second time. The group of repeat selections was headlined by Kpassagnon, who was named to the Academic All-Conference team for the fourth straight year. Hinchen and Rolle are each three-time academic honorees, as are senior linebacker Travis Clark (Rumson, N.J.), graduate tight end Ryan Morris (Barnegat, N.J.), junior kicker Steve Weyler (Media, Pa.) and senior linebacker T.J. White (West Chester, Pa.).

Villanova tallied a 9-4 record during the 2016 season and reached the FCS playoffs for the sixth time in the last nine years. After posting an 8-3 regular season record and going 6-2 in conference play, the Wildcats were an at-large selection to the Division I Football Championship and advanced to the second round.

The announcement of the CAA Football Academic All-Conference Team is the latest measure of Villanova's success both on and off the field. In the most recent release of NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) data last April, the Wildcats were one of just 12 Division I schools and seven who play FCS football to have both their football and men's basketball teams garner public recognition for ranking among the top 10 percent of their sport nationwide.

Still to be announced by CAA Football is the league's Student-Athlete of the Year. That award will be announced next week.

2016 CAA Football Academic All-Conference Team
Villanova Selections (42)