RICHMOND, Va.—Villanova is picked to finish third in CAA Football this season and has four players on the 2021 CAA Football Preseason All-Conference Team as the release of the annual preseason poll of league head coaches and media relations directors kicked off a virtual media day event on Tuesday morning. The preseason honorees from the Wildcats are junior offensive lineman Michael Corbi (Arnold, Md.); senior defensive lineman Malik Fisher (Bronx, N.Y.); senior linebacker Forrest Rhyne (Waynesboro, Pa.); and junior cornerback Christian Benford (Randallstown, Md.). In addition to the preseason all-conference selections, Villanova senior quarterback Daniel Smith (Leesburg, Va.) and graduate running back Justin Covington (Bronx, N.Y.) earned honorable mention from the league.
 
Each of the four Wildcats named to the Preseason All-Conference Team were previously first team All-CAA honorees for the abbreviated 2020 season which was contested this past spring, while Covington was the winner of the league's prestigious Chuck Boone Leadership and Excellence Award. A veteran Villanova squad which went 2-2 this spring was ranked No. 16 in the nation at the end of the season and returns many of the same personnel not just from the spring but going back to the program's last full season in 2019 when the Wildcats were an FCS playoff squad.
 
Corbi came into his own as a first-time starter on the offensive line in the spring. He made the first four starts of his career 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. He has appeared in 11 career games with four starts and is slated for a starting role once again entering the 2021 season.
 
Fisher is a two-time postseason All-CAA honoree having been a third team selection in 2019 and a first team choice this year. 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 to 74 tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss, 18.0 sacks, seven forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. He also has five pass breakups, one interception and one blocked kick while appearing in 39 career games with 30 starts.
 
Rhyne is played in the final two games of the spring and was an All-CAA first team honoree for the second straight season. He made his spring debut against Maine on April 3 and was in top form over the Wildcats final two contests at the Black Bears and home against Delaware. Rhyne ranked third on the team with 22 total tackles despite playing in just the two games, including making 12 solo tackles and 10 assisted stops. He recoded 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 has been an impact performer for the Wildcats since being named the CAA Football Defensive Rookie of the Year back in 2018. He started at cornerback in all four games during the spring 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 season 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.
 
Two of Villanova's top performers from the 2019 season who continued their momentum this spring make up the Wildcats honorable mention preseason accolades. Covington was a second team All-CAA selection in the spring and a third team pick in 2019 despite suffering a season-ending injury in the sixth game of that season. He was leading the FCS in rushing during the 2019 season when he was injured and returned this spring to lead Villanova with 309 rushing yards and six touchdowns in four contests. He led CAA Football and ranked fifth nationally with 7.3 yards per carry, while also leading the CAA in rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns. In 32 career games played, Covington has rushed for 1,587 yards and 10 scores on 249 carries. He is one of 21 players in Wildcats history to top 1,500 career rushing yards and his total of 1,587 yards ranks 19^th in the program record book.
 
Smith begins his third season directing the Villanova offense and was a third team All-CAA selection back in 2019 when he had a dominant season both passing and running. In four games this spring he threw for 677 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for 141 yards and a score. A true dual-threat quarterback, Smith went 236-of-396 through the air in his first year with the Wildcats in 2019 while throwing for 3,274 yards with 35 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 457 yards and 12 scores that season in addition to catching a 68-yard touchdown reception during the year. Smith begins the 2021 season ranked ninth in school history in both passing yards (3,951) and yards of total offense (4,549).
 
The preseason CAA poll predicted James Madison to finish atop the standings in 2021, followed by Delaware and Villanova rounding out the top three teams. The Dukes received 15 of 24 first-place votes and had 231 points in the poll, with the Blue Hens getting seven first-place votes to finish with 222 points. The Wildcats had 194 points and were followed by Richmond (two first-place votes, 169 points), New Hampshire (135), Rhode Island (121), Towson (115), UAlbany (114), Maine (99), Stony Brook (73), William & Mary (61) and Elon (50).