RICHMOND, Va.—Senior running back Justin Covington (Bronx, N.Y.) was named the winner of the CAA Football Chuck Boone Leadership and Excellence Award in an announcement made by the conference office on Wednesday afternoon. Covington is also one of eight Wildcats who earned 2020 CAA Football postseason honors. Villanova had four players each on the All-CAA First Team and All-CAA Second Team.
 
The all-conference awards are voted on by the league's head coaches, while the athletic director's of the 12 schools vote on the Chuck Boone Leadership and Excellence Award. This is the second straight season that a Wildcats student-athlete has won this prestigious honor. It is also the sixth consecutive year and the 18^th time overall that Villanova has had a major award winner when the conference announced its postseason accolades. Covington joins former Wildcats Jake Prus (2015) and Chucky Smith (2019) as Chuck Boone award winners.
 
Junior offensive lineman Michael Corbi (Arnold, Md.) was named to the All-CAA First Team Offense. Senior defensive lineman Malik Fisher (New York, N.Y.), senior linebacker Forrest Rhyne (Waynesboro, Pa.) and junior defensive back Christian Benford (Randallstown, Md.) were each named to the All-CAA First Team Defense. Villanova had four honorees on the Second Team Offense, including Covington, sophomore wide receiver Rayjoun Pringle (Dumfries, Va.), senior offensive lineman Colin Gamroth (Mercer Island, Wash.) and junior kick returner Dez Boykin (Whitehall, Pa.).
 
Covington was selected as the recipient of the Chuck Boone Leadership and Excellence Award for embodying the highest standards of leadership, integrity, teamwork and sportsmanship in academics and athletics. The fifth-year running back is a member of the Athletics UNITAS Leadership Team and the University Police Oversight Committee. He was chosen as the senior student-athlete speaker for graduation and is a football team captain in addition to being a member of the Villanova Football Keeper of the Flame Leadership Group.
 
Outside of football, Covington has volunteered at the annual registry drive to identify potential bone marrow donors that former head coach Andy Talley holds on campus each spring. Covington has also managed, officiated and served as a guide at the Special Olympics festival held on campus every year. He is an active participant in the Villanova Football annual Thanksgiving dinner drive and has helped with the Adopt-A-Child Christmas Drive sponsored by the Athletic Department.
 
Covington is a three-time selection to the CAA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll and has been recognized five times on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll. He was awarded a B.S. in Nursing with a minor in Sociology and in Fall 2020 began his M.S. in Nursing with a concentration in Nursing Education. Covington earned Dean's List recognition for the Spring 2017 semester as well as for the Fall 2020 semester when he achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA.
 
On the field, Covington emerged as one of the top running backs in Wildcats history. He was leading the FCS in rushing during the 2019 season when he was injured in the sixth game of the year. Covington returned to play in all four spring games this year and led Villanova with 309 rushing yards and six touchdowns. He led CAA Football and ranked fifth nationally with 7.3 yards per carry in the spring season, while also leading the CAA in rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns. He ranked 13^th in the national in rushing touchdowns and eighth in total scoring. Covington was named the CAA Football Offensive Player of the Week on April 5 after he had a career-high four rushing touchdowns in the win at Maine. His career totals include 32 games played and 249 carries for 1,587 yards and 10 scores. Covington is one of 21 players in program history to top 1,500 career rushing yards and his total of 1,587 yards rank 19^th in the Wildcats record book. This is the second career All-CAA honor for Covington, who was previously a third team selection in 2019.
 
Below are capsules at each of the other Villanova honorees on the CAA Football All-Conference Teams.
 
Corbi made the first four starts of his collegiate career on the Wildcats offensive line this spring. He started all four games at center and helped Villanova average 398.2 yards of total offense, including 208.2 rushing yards per game and 190.0 passing yards per contest. Corbi was part of an offensive line which gave up just four sacks in the four games and played a part in the Wildcats having only two turnovers and not losing a single fumble during the season. Corbi has now appeared in 11 career games with four starts.
 
Fisher earns all-conference honors for the second straight season after being a third team selection on defense in 2019. He has been a top playmaker for the Villanova defense throughout his career and during the spring season recorded 11 tackles, including four tackles for loss and three quarterback sacks which each led the team. Fisher had one forced fumble and one interception in the four games while extending his career totals 74 tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss, 18.0 sacks, seven forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. Fisher also has five pass breakups, one interception and one blocked kick while appearing in 39 career games with 30 starts.
 
Rhyne is an All-CAA first team honoree for the second straight season after previously garnering his first career all-conference nod in 2019. Despite missing the first two games of the spring season with an injury, he returned for the game at Maine on April 3 and was in top form over the Wildcats final two contests. Rhyne ranked third on the team with 22 total tackles despite playing in just two games, including making 12 solo tackles and 10 assisted stops. He recorded 1.5 tackles for loss and one sack on the year. A two-year starter on the Villanova defense, Rhyne has appeared in 31 games with 14 starts during his collegiate career. His career totals include 157 tackles (80 solo, 77 assisted), 17.0 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks and one forced fumble.
 
Benford was the CAA Football Defensive Rookie of the Year as a freshman in 2018 and now adds a second career all-conference honor to his resumé. He started at cornerback in all four games during the spring season and recorded 18 tackles, including 16 solo stops and two assisted tackles. Benford also had five passes defended in the four games with four pass breakups and one interception. In the spring opener against Stony Brook, Benford sealed the game when he recovered a late onside kick by the Seawolves and returned it 30 yards to secure a 16-13 victory. A veteran of 23 games with 18 career starts, Benford's career totals include 98 tackles (78 solo, 20 assisted), 2.5 tackles for loss, seven interceptions and 15 pass breakups.
 
Pringle was one of the breakout players for the Wildcats this spring and emerged as the team's top receiver. He started all four games and led the Villanova offense with 17 receptions for 245 yards and two touchdowns. Pringle was chosen as the CAA Football Offensive Player of the Week following the spring opener at Stony Brook when he established career highs with nine receptions and 171 receiving yards. He scored a 49-yard touchdown against the Seawolves and also had a touchdown in the win at Maine when he made five receptions for 47 yards and a score. This is the first career All-CAA honor for Pringle, who made his collegiate debut in 2019 when he appeared in eight games and had five receptions for 32 yards.
 
Gamroth has started 17 of the 23 career games he has played for Villanova, including all four spring games at left guard after previously being the team's center. This is the second career all-conference honor for Gamroth, who was named to the All-CAA third team in 2019. In four games this spring, Gamroth helped the Wildcats average 398.2 yards of total offense, including 208.2 rushing yards per game and 190.0 passing yards per contest. Corbi was part of an offensive line which gave up just four sacks in the four games and played a part in Villanova having only two turnovers and not losing a single fumble during the season.
 
Boykin has been a steady presence as the Wildcats primary kick returner during his career. In the four spring games this season he returned 10 kickoffs for 239 yards with an average of 23.9 yards per return and a long return of 40 yards. Boykin led CAA Football and ranked 26^th nationally this season in combined kick return yards, while his 239 kickoff return yards ranked second in the conference. This is the first career All-CAA honor for Boykin, whose Villanova career includes 42 kickoff returns for a total of 1,008 yards and an average of 24.0 yards per return. He is also a part of the Wildcats receiving corps and has made 17 career receptions for 226 yards and three touchdowns, including four catches for 44 yards and a touchdown this season.