RICHMOND—A historic season for freshman running back David Avit (Potomac, Md.) continued on Tuesday afternoon as he was named the CAA Football Offensive Rookie of the Year in an announcement of the league's annual postseason honors. Avit is the third Villanova player ever and first non-quarterback to be the conference Offensive Rookie of the Year. He is one of nine Wildcats who were recognized in the CAA Football postseason awards and All-CAA teams. The true freshman was one of 25 players nationally who were named finalists on Monday afternoon for the Jerry Rice Award which is presented to the top freshman in the FCS.
 
Villanova's postseason accolades are highlighted by four players who garnered first team All-CAA honors, including the defensive trio of fifth year linebacker Brendan Bell (Basking Ridge, N.J.), senior linebacker Shane Hartzell (Perkasie, Pa.) and fifth year cornerback Isas Waxter (Newark, N.J.). On the offensive side of the ball, the anchor of the Wildcats offensive line, senior center Jake Picard (Hope, R.I.), was also a first team selection.
 
This is the first time since the 2021 Spring season, and the first complete Fall season since 2012, that Villanova has had at least four first team All-CAA selections. The quartet of honors comes after the Wildcats won nine regular season games for the second straight year and earned a repeat trip to the FCS playoffs as the #11 national seed. The team has been led by its defense all season, and Villanova has two linebackers on the first team all-conference squad for the first time since 2010.
 
Fifth year safety Ty Trinh (Owings Mills, Md.) was named second team All-CAA on defense and the Wildcats had four additional players earn honorable mention all-conference status. Avit headlined the honorable mention picks and was joined by sixth year quarterback Connor Watkins (Williamsport, Pa.), junior left tackle Stephane Voltaire (Randolph, Mass.) and senior defensive lineman Obinna Nwobodo (Wilmington, Del.).
 
The nine postseason honorees for Villanova are nearly evenly split between five repeat selections and four players who are earning All-CAA recognition for the first time. The trio of Bell, Hartzell and Waxter each earned their second straight selection and are making their first appearances on the first team squad. Trinh and Watkins are also repeat picks from a year ago.
 
This is the fourth time in the last six seasons that the Wildcats have had at least nine postseason All-CAA selections. It is also the 28^th time in the last 29 years that Villanova has been rewarded with at least four postseason honors. The number of accolades this year are well-deserved recognition for a Wildcats team which has been nationally-ranked the entire year and is headed to the playoffs with a 9-3 overall record.
 
Villanova begins its 2024 postseason run with a home game on Saturday against Eastern Kentucky from the United Athletic Conference. It will be the first meeting ever between the teams.
 
Below are profiles of each of the nine Wildcats who were recognized in today's postseason awards release.
 

 
DAVID AVIT
Freshman, Running Back, Potomac, Md.
CAA Football Offensive Rookie of the Year
Honorable Mention All-CAA
First career All-CAA selection
 
Avit has burst onto the scene this season as one of the top first year players in the country. He is Villanova's leading running back and has rushed for 793 yards and nine touchdowns on the year to go along with making nine receptions for another 100 yards. Avit is one of 25 finalists for the Jerry Rice Award presented to the top freshman in the FCS, and he is a compelling candidate for the award. He currently ranks second nationally among FCS freshmen in rushing yards and is tied for third in the country among freshmen in rushing touchdowns. His 793 yards and nine scores both lead first year CAA Football players as well.
 
Earlier this year, Avit set Wildcats freshman records with 183 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns in a 42-24 win over Stony Brook, a performance which earned him both Stats Perform FCS Freshman of the Week and CAA Football Rookie of the Week honors. More recently, Avit finished the regular season on a tear. He has scored a touchdown in each of the last four games and has rushed for 237 yards in that stretch. His 793 yards on the season rank 29^th in school history, and with just seven more yards he could move into the top 25 on that list.
 
BRENDAN BELL
Fifth Year, Linebacker, Basking Ridge, N.J.
First Team All-CAA (Defense)
Second career All-CAA selection
 
Bell has been as dynamic a player this season as Villanova has had in quite some time. A three-year starter at linebacker, he has not only been one of the anchors of the Wildcats defensive unit but in recent weeks has also made contributions offensively. In the regular season finale against Delaware last weekend, Bell became the first Villanova player since at least 1985 to score both an offensive and a defensive touchdown in the same game. He had a pick-six in the first quarter and a six-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth period against the Blue Hens.
 
The defense has been the Wildcats strength all season and Bell has been at the forefront of the stifling defensive effort. He ranks second on the team with 104 total tackles, including a team-high 51 solo stops, and also has a team-high 14 tackles for loss to go along with three sacks, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and the interception which he turned into a touchdown. Bell has recorded double figures in tackles five times this season, all in Villanova wins, and had a career-high 15 stops against Stony Brook which earned him CAA Football Defensive Player of the Week accolades along with being named Stats Perform FCS Honorable Mention for the week.
 
SHANE HARTZELL
Senior, Linebacker, Perkasie, Pa.
First Team All-CAA (Defense)
Second career All-CAA selection
 
Hartzell has flourished this season as one of the top performers on Villanova's stingy defense. He leads the team with 106 total tackles, including 46 solo stops and 60 assisted tackles to go along with 8.5 tackles for loss and a team-high five sacks. His seven quarterback hurries are also a team-high for a Wildcats defense which ranks second in the CAA and 23^rd nationally in fewest passing yards allowed. Hartzell was an honorable mention All-CAA selection last year and emerged this season as one of the top players in the league to merit first team accolades.
 
During the year, Hartzell was named the Stats Perform FCS Defensive Player of the Week and the CAA Football Defensive Player of the Week on October 28 after he had a career-high 20 tackles in a 14-6 win over New Hampshire. Hartzell had recorded 11 total stops in the first half alone of that contest, while his 20 tackles for the day are the fourth most in a game by an FCS player this season. Villanova is 4-0 on the year when Hartzell records double digits in tackles, including wins over Youngstown State, Stony Brook, New Hampshire and Delaware.
 
OBINNA NWOBODO
Senior, Defensive Line (Defensive Tackle), Wilmington, Del.
Honorable Mention All-CAA
First career All-CAA selection
 
Nwobodo is enjoying one of the breakout seasons on the Villanova roster this year. A first time starter, he is the only one of the Wildcats top three defensive linemen who has started all 12 games on the year. Nwobodo has recorded 31 tackles, including 15 solo stops and 16 assisted tackles, for the season while registering four tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He has two pass breakups, two quarterback hurries and a forced fumble on the year. He entered the season having played in 16 career games without any starts, but was selected as a team co-captain during the preseason.
 
The highlight of the season for Nwobodo came in a 14-13 win over Towson in the first league contest of the season. A tightly played game throughout came down to a field goal attempt by the Tigers as time expired. Nwobodo got his hands on the kick for the Wildcats second blocked field goal of the game which secured the win and gave Villanova early momentum in what turned out to be a crowded race near the top of the CAA standings.
 
JAKE PICARD
Senior, Offensive Line (Center), Hope, R.I.
First Team All-CAA (Offense)
First career All-CAA selection
 
Picard has been a steadying presence on the Villanova offensive line this season and has started all 12 games at center. He has now started 32 of the 38 career games he has played in and has contributed to a Wildcats offense which has turned the ball over just 10 times all year and sports a plus-seven turnover margin. Villanova has played turnover free football in seven of its 12 games after committing at least one turnover in all 13 games it played last season.
 
The offense has been balanced throughout the season and the Wildcats are currently averaging nearly even totals of 164.9 rushing yards per game and 161.2 passing yards per contest. Villanova has scored 26 rushing touchdowns while topping 200 yards on the ground five times. The success running the ball includes the play of freshman running back David Avit who ranks second in the country in rushing yards by a freshman with 793.
 
TY TRINH
Fifth Year, Safety, Owings Mills, Md.
Second Team All-CAA (Defense)
Second career All-CAA selection
 
One of three players on the Villanova roster who has played at least 50 games during their collegiate career, Trinh has started in each of the last 23 games dating back to last season. He has appeared in 51 games overall and started 43 during his Wildcats career. Trinh is as steady a player as they come, and this season has been no different as he is tied for the team lead with four pass breakups and two interceptions. He has made 47 tackles on the year, including 30 solo stops, while recording 5.5 tackles for loss and two quarterback hurries.
 
Trinh is in his third season as a full-time starter on the Villanova defense and he has amassed career totals of 189 tackles (116 solo, 73 assisted) to go along with 11.5 tackles for loss, 14 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He is coming off one of his better games of the season as he had seven tackles and an interception versus Delaware last weekend. Trinh was a first time All-CAA honoree last year and repeats as a second team selection this season.
 
STEPHANE VOLTAIRE
Junior, Offensive Line (Left Tackle), Randolph, Mass.
Honorable Mention All-CAA
First career All-CAA selection
 
Voltaire has started 28 of the 36 games he has played in during his career, including all 12 contests this year at left tackle. He has been a consistent force for the Wildcats offense which has turned the ball over just 10 times all year and sports a plus-seven turnover margin. Villanova has played turnover free football in seven of its 12 games after committing at least one turnover in all 13 games it played last season. Voltaire has currently started 26 consecutive games dating back to the 2022 season finale.
 
The offense has been balanced throughout the season and the Wildcats are currently averaging nearly even totals of 164.9 rushing yards per game and 161.2 passing yards per contest. Villanova has scored 26 rushing touchdowns while topping 200 yards on the ground five times. The success running the ball includes the play of freshman running back David Avit who ranks second in the country in rushing yards by a freshman with 793.
 
CONNOR WATKINS
Sixth Year, Quarterback, Williamsport, Pa.
Honorable Mention All-CAA
Second career All-CAA selection
 
One of the top quarterbacks in school history, Watkins earns postseason recognition for the second straight year. He has been a dual-threat passer and rusher on the year and is averaging 184.8 yards of total offense per game while ranking third on the team with 52 points. Watkins has thrown just three interceptions on 291 pass attempts this year and has thrown for 1,822 yards (150-of-291) with 11 touchdowns. He is also the third leading rusher on the roster with 395 yards on the ground and eight rushing touchdowns. Watkins has a flair for the dramatic and has thrown seven career passes for 75 yards or longer; no previous Villanova signal caller before him had ever thrown more than four such passes.
 
Watkins has been the starter under center since the beginning of the 2022 season and owns a 25-11 career record as the starting quarterback. He ranks fifth in school history with 6,749 career passing yards and is sixth in the Villanova record book with 7,979 yards of total offense. Watkins is also eighth in school history with 48 passing touchdowns and has gone 444-of-811 through the air in a Wildcats uniform.
 
ISAS WAXTER
Fifth Year, Cornerback, Newark, N.J.
First Team All-CAA (Defense)
Second career All-CAA selection
 
Waxter moves up from being a second team All-CAA selection a year ago to a first team honoree this year. He is one of the top players in the country at his position and was highly touted coming into the 2024 campaign, earning a spot on the Buck Buchanan Award preseason watch list and garnering FCS Preseason All-America honors. Waxter has played in 11 games on the season and has recorded three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and two pass breakups while making 33 total tackles. He is coming off a five-tackle performance versus Delaware last weekend.
 
Earlier this season Waxter had three forced fumbles in a span of two games, including the first of his career in a win over Stony Brook and two forced fumbles in a game at Maine. He is one of 28 players nationally and four from CAA Football with at least three forced fumbles on the year. Waxter has played in 45 career games with 28 starts and has totals of 108 tackles (75 solo, 33 assisted) as well as seven tackles for loss, 16 pass breakups and three interceptions to go along with this year's three forced fumbles and one recovery.