PHILADELPHIA—Four student-athletes who each made significant on-field contributions during the 2019 season were named to the
Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Football Team for their combined success in their academic endeavors and in athletic competition. Senior safety
Chucky Smith (Newbury Park, Calif.), junior linebacker
Forrest Rhyne (Waynesboro, Pa.) and the junior offensive line tandem of
Colin Gamroth (Mercer Island, Wash.) and
Paul Grattan (Pittsburgh, Pa.) were each voted onto the Academic All-Area squad by the sports information directors of the Philadelphia-area colleges and universities.
The team of 24 student-athletes chosen for Academic All-Area recognition are chosen based on their academic achievement and athletic accomplishments. The minimum cumulative grade-point average to be nominated for the honor is a 3.0, while each nominee must also be a major contributor to his team. Each of the Wildcats four honorees are standouts in the classroom and were key components of a Villanova team which went 9-4 and advanced to the FCS playoffs. It is the second straight year that Smith has earned Academic All-Area accolades, while Gamroth, Grattan and Rhyne were all named to the team for the first time.
Smith was one of the CAA Football major award winners after the season when he was named the winner of the prestigious Chuck Boone Leadership Award. The honor is voted on by the athletic directors of the 12 schools that make up CAA Football, and is given to one senior from the conference who embodies the highest standards of leadership, integrity, teamwork and sportsmanship in academics and athletics. Smith graduated from Villanova in December with a degree in Biology (pre-medicine track) and a double minor in Economics and Naval Science. He has been selected to attend Navy Flight School in Pensacola, Fla. after being a platoon leader with the Naval ROTC program at Villanova. Smith is the chair or RUIBAL, a volunteer program for tutoring underprivileged inner-city children, and was presented with the football team's Jake Nevin Award for character, integrity and leadership.
Smith was named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll for having a 3.2 or better semester GPA in each of the six semesters since the award was created. He is also a five-time CAA All-Academic Team member. In his final collegiate season in 2019, Smith played in all 13 games and earned five starts. He finished the year with 50 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks.
Gamroth and Grattan were part of an offensive line which ranked as one of the best in the country. The line allowed the Wildcats to average 194.1 rushing yards and 454.8 total yards per contest. Villanova scored at least 20 points in all 13 of its games while leading CAA Football and ranking seventh nationally in fewest sacks allowed. Grattan started all 12 games he played at left guard and was a first team All-CAA selection; Gamroth started all 13 games at center and was recognized for his play with third team all-conference honors.
Outside of football, Gamroth is a three-time member of the CAA All-Academic Team and a four-time selection to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll while majoring in Computer Engineering. Grattan, who has started every one of the 33 career games he has played in, is a Political Science major and has been a member of the Athletic Director's Honor Roll.
Rhyne also earned first team all-conference recognition after a breakout campaign in his first year as a starter and a team captain. He led the Wildcats and ranked fifth in the CAA with 116 total tackles on the year, a total which is in the top-25 for a single season in school history. Rhyne started all 13 games and recorded seven contests with 10+ total tackles. He tallied 14.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks on the year, with his in-season honor roll including being named CAA Defensive Player of the Week on October 7 after he had a career-high 15 tackles against William & Mary. Rhyne is majoring in Communication and has twice been named to the CAA All-Academic Team.
