VILLANOVA, Pa.—The first signees to the Villanova Football Class of 2026 will be formally announced on Wednesday evening as Wildcats head coach Mark Ferrante joins Steve Pinone for a Signing Day Special on Nova Nation All-Access. During the show Ferrante will announce the nine signees to the Wildcats program, including three players on offense and five on defense along with a punter. Each of the incoming recruits will join Villanova for the 2022 season. The Signing Day Show premieres at 8 p.m. and the archive of the show can be seen by clicking on the link within this release. 
 
Ferrante and the Wildcats coaching staff have laid a foundation for national recruiting success and the signees announced this week reflect those efforts. The nine incoming student-athletes hail from five different states ranging from Massachusetts to Texas, while three in-state players from Pennsylvania will stay close to home for their collegiate careers. Villanova signed two players from New Jersey and Texas as well as one each from Massachusetts and South Carolina. 
 
On the offensive side of the ball, the signees include wide receiver Nathaniel Hill (Texas – Parish Episcopal); quarterback Tanner Maddocks (Pennsylvania – Fleetwood High School); and running back Eli Smith (Texas – Second Baptist High School). The five defensive players are linebacker Turner Inge (New Jersey – Williamstown High School); defensive lineman Michael Kennedy (South Carolina – Southside Christian); defensive back Devon Marshall (Massachusetts – Catholic Memorial); linebacker JR Strauss (Pennsylvania – Exeter Township); and defensive back Jonathan Wyatt (New Jersey – St. Thomas Aquinas). The class is completed by punter Daniel Mueller (Pennsylvania – Lancaster Catholic).
 
In choosing Villanova to continue their football careers, the signing class is joining a highly successful FCS program which had made 14 postseason appearances and won seven conference championships over the years. The 2021 season was one of the most successful in recent memory for the Wildcats, who won their first CAA Football title since 2012 and earned a #5 seed in the FCS playoffs on the way to reaching the quarterfinal round for the seventh time. Ferrante was named the CAA Football Coach of the Year and the AFCA FCS Region 1 Coach of the Year, while Villanova had 13 players named to the CAA Football All-Conference Teams.
 
Below, in alphabetical order, are capsules of each of the Wildcats signees for the Class of 2026.

Nathaniel Hill (Wide Receiver / Parish Episcopal / TX / 6-3 / 205)
Hill amassed 545 receiving yards and scored five touchdowns this season for a team which won a Texas Division I state championship. He was a second team all-district wide receiver and earned all-state honorable mention accolades.
 
Turner Inge (Linebacker / Williamstown High School / NJ / 6-1 / 205)
Inge made 124 tackles during his senior year and also rushed for 1,604 yards with 15 touchdowns as a running back. He ranked in the top 10 in New Jersey in both tackles and rushing yards for the 2021 season and was named to the All-South Jersey First Team Defense as well as to the All-New Jersey Defensive Team.
 
Michael Kennedy (Defensive Line / Southside Christian / SC / 6-1 / 290)
Kennedy earned 1A All-Region honors and was a first team all-state defensive player as a senior this season. He was chosen to play in the Touchstone Energy North-South Bowl Game and comes from a high school program which won a South Carolina Class A state title this year.
 
Tanner Maddocks (Quarterback / Fleetwood High School / PA / 6-1 / 180)
Maddocks is an in-state recruit who was nominated for Berks County Player of the Year honors this season. In addition to throwing for 2,150 yards and 21 touchdowns as a senior, he led Berks County with seven interceptions as a defensive back. He earned all-county honors and first team all-division accolades as a defensive back.
 
Devon Marshall (Defensive Back / Catholic Memorial / MA / 6-0 / 190)
Marshall was the MVP of the Catholic Conference this season and played for a Massachusetts state championship team. He recorded five kickoff/punt return touchdowns and was named his team's Defensive MVP.
 
Daniel Mueller (Punter / Lancaster Catholic / PA / 5-10 / 180)
Mueller was a preseason all-state punter going into his senior season and averaged 42.0 yards per punt for Lancaster Catholic. He also scored 196 career points and made 21 field goals.
 
Eli Smith (Running Back / Second Baptist High School / TX / 6-0 / 190)
Smith earned first team all-state honors and first team all-district accolades as a running back this season when he rushed for over 1,400 yards and 19 touchdowns. He was selected as an Offensive Player of the Year finalist by the Touch Down Club of Houston and was a key performer for a team which was a Texas Division II state runner-up.
 
JR Strauss (Linebacker / Exeter Township / PA / 6-3 / 215)
Strauss made 77 tackles on defense this season and was also played at wide receiver where he totaled 501 receiving yards to go along with five touchdowns. He was a 2020 first team all-state linebacker and this year earned first team all-county honors on both offense and defense. Strauss' scholastic honors include being named to the All-Academic Team.
 
Jonathan Wyatt (Defensive Back / St. Thomas Aquinas / NJ / 6-2 / 175)
Wyatt was a first team all-division defensive back as a senior this year and garnered first team Central Jersey honors. He was named to the 2021 All-Zone Football Team and tallied five interceptions during the 2020-2021 seasons. In addition to his efforts on the defensive side of the ball, Wyatt also had 1,010 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns.