VILLANOVA, Pa.—Fresh off a nine-win season and a FCS playoff appearance, the Villanova football program on Wednesday looked toward the future with the unveiling of its early signing period recruiting class.  A group of 14 scholastic players who signed a National Letter of Intent committing to the Wildcats was announced by head coach Mark Ferrante, who hosted a Signing Day show on campus to celebrate the Class of 2024.
 
The latest additions to the Villanova program are a dynamic class with highly coveted talent on both sides of the ball.  Ferrante and his staff recruited a class that includes players from seven different states, including five players from Pennsylvania who will remain in-state for their collegiate careers.  The class also includes four players from Maryland and one each from New Jersey, New York, Delaware and Rhode Island as the Wildcats continue their recruiting success in the region.  Villanova has also signed a player from Texas, marking the second straight year that at least one player from the Lone Star State has joined the Wildcats.
 
Villanova's recruiting class includes nine players on the defensive side of the ball and five on offense, with five of the 14 players earning all-state honors at least once during their scholastic careers.  The five offensive signees include local products and high school teammates Ricky Ortega (QB/Coatesville HS/Coatesville, Pa.) and Dapree Bryant (WR/Coatesville HS/Coatesville, Pa.), as well as Temitope Ajirotutu (OL/Eagle Academy/Queens, N.Y.); Mitchell Bothwell (TE/All Saints Episcopal School/Fort Worth, Texas); and Jake Picard (OL/Bishop Hendricken HS/Hope, R.I.). 
 
The defensive players in the Class of 2024 include Tim Furgeson (LB/Damascus HS/Gaithersburg, Md.); Jake Green (DL/North Schuylkill HS/Ashland, Pa.); Tyrell Mims (DB/Martin Luther King HS/Philadelphia, Pa.); Jordan Nelson (LB/Palmerton HS/Palmerton, Pa.); Obinna Nwobodo (DL/Delaware County Christian School/Wilmington, Del.); Ethan Potter (DB/Caravel Academy/Chesapeake City, Md.); John Rhodan (DB/Elkton HS/Elkton, Md.); K-Shawn Schulters (DB/St. Joseph HS/Roselle, N.J.) and Ty Trinh (DB/Calvert Hall College HS/Owings Mills, Md.). 
 
In choosing to continue their football careers at Villanova, the signing class is joining a highly successful FCS program which has made 13 postseason appearances and won six conference championships over the years.  The 2019 campaign which just ended was a special one for the Wildcats, who went 9-4 and were ranked as high as No. 5 in the country during the year.  It was the seventh straight season that Villanova was ranked in the top-10 of the national polls at some point during the regular season. 
 
Below are capsules of each of the Wildcats signees for the Class of 2024.
 
 
TEMITOPE AJIROTUTU
Offensive Line
6-4 / 297
Queens, N.Y. / Eagle Academy
 

• All-City
• Three-year team captain

 
MITCHELL BOTHWELL
Tight End
6-5 / 231
Fort Worth, Texas / All Saints Episcopal School
 

• All-District
• 46 receptions, 550 yards, three touchdowns

 
DAPREE BRYANT
Wide Receiver
5-9 / 180
Coatesville, Pa. / Coatesville
 

• Three-time all-state wide receiver
• Three-time All-Southeastern Pennsylvania team
• All Ches-Mont
• Ches-Mont all-time career leader in receptions, receiving yards (3,708) and touchdown receptions (54)
• Three straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons
• Eight interceptions on defense
• 2x district champion, 4x Ches-Mont champion 

 
TIM FURGESON
Linebacker
6-2 / 215
Gaithersburg, Md. / Damascus
 

• Team captain
• First team All-Moco
• 148 career tackles, 16.5 sacks, six interceptions, 12 forced fumbles, nine fumble recoveries

 
JAKE GREEN
Defensive Line
6-0 / 276
Ashland, Pa./North Schuylkill
 

• All-State
• First team All-Area
• First team All-League
• WNEP Super 16 Dream Team

 
TYRELL MIMS
Defensive Back
5-10 / 169
Philadelphia, Pa. / Martin Luther King
 

• 3x first team All-Public League
• First team All-Southeastern Pennsylvania
• Mini-Maxwell Award Winner
• Career Stats: 17 interceptions, 90 tackles, five defensive touchdowns, four forced fumbles

 
JORDAN NELSON
Linebacker
6-2 / 197
Palmerton, Pa. / Palmerton
 

• 440 career tackles

 
OBINNA NWOBODO
Defensive Line
6-3 / 282
Wilmington, Del. / Delaware County Christian School (Pa.)
 

• Defensive MVP
• First team All-KSFL
• Three-time district champion

 
RICKY ORTEGA
Quarterback
5-10 / 190
Coatesville, Pa. / Coatesville
 

• First team All-State
• 2017 Eastern Pennsylvania Player of the Year
• 2017, 2018 All-Area Player of the Year
• First team All-League
• All-Area
• 2x district champion, 4x Ches-Mont champion
• Mr. PA Football finalist
• Holds school record for passing yards and passing touchdowns

 
JAKE PICARD
Offensive Line
6-3 / 289
Hope, R.I. / Bishop Hendricken
 

• First team All-State
• Two-year team captain
• First team All-Division
• First team All-League

 
ETHAN POTTER
Defensive Back
5-11 / 192
Chesapeake City, Md. / Caravel Academy (Del.)
 

• First team All-State as a defensive back, running back and kick returner
• 3x All-Conference defensive back and running back
• 2019 Stats: 31 touchdowns, 2,210 all-purpose yards, 104 tackles, eight tackles for loss, three interceptions

 
JOHN RHODAN
Defensive Back
5-11 / 166
Elkton, Md. / Elkton
 

• Crab Bowl
• Eight interceptions, six touchdowns 

K-SHAWN SCHULTERS
Defensive Back
6-1 / 167
Roselle, N.J. / St. Joseph
 

• First team All-Conference
• First team All-Division
• 2019 Defensive Stats: 43 tackles, six interceptions, 16 pass breakups
• 2016 Offensive Stats: 10 touchdowns (seven receiving, three rushing)

TY TRINH
Defensive Back
5-11 / 182
Owings Mills, Md. / Calvert Hall College HS
 

• First team All-Conference
• BTC All-Star Selection