VILLANOVA, Pa.—A pair of fifth year defensive players were recognized on a national level Wednesday afternoon with the reveal of the Stats Perform FCS All-America Team. Villanova was represented by cornerback Isas Waxter (Newark, N.J.) on the second team and by linebacker Brendan Bell (Basking Ridge, N.J.) on the third team. It is the first time since 2021 that the Wildcats have had at least two players named Stats Perform All-Americans. Each of the Villanova selections were named to the CAA Football First Team Defense last month.
 
Waxter garnered national attention before the 2024 season began and he more than lived up to the hype with the best season of his collegiate career. He emerged as one of the top players in the country at his position and was named to the Buck Buchanan Award preseason watch list. Waxter played in 11 of the Wildcats 14 games played this season and totaled 33 tackles, including 24 solo stops. He had three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, two pass breakups and two tackles for loss.
 
At the end of the regular season, Waxter was one of 28 players nationally and just four from CAA Football with at least three forced fumbles on the year. He finished his collegiate career starting 28 of the 45 games he played in and had totals of 108 tackles (75 solo) 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.
 
Villanova was led by its defense throughout the 2024 season, with the performances of Waxter and Bell key reasons for the defensive success. Bell led the Wildcats with 126 tackles on the year, including 62 solo tackles, 64 assisted stops and a team-high 16 tackles for loss. He was second on the squad with three sacks and added an interception which he returned for a touchdown, three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles, three pass breakups, two quarterback hurries and one blocked kick for good measure.
 
Bell reached double figures in tackles six times during the 2024 season, including a career-high 15 stops on two occasions. He ranked fourth in CAA Football in total tackles per game (9.0), sixth in the conference in tackles for loss per contest (1.1) and was tied for the league lead as well as ranking fourth nationally with his three fumble recoveries.
 
Bell scored three career touchdowns for the Wildcats and all three came this season, including his pick-six along with two rushing touchdowns as he occasionally took snaps on offense during the second half of the season. In the regular season finale against Delaware, Bell became the first Villanova player since at least 1980 to score both an offensive touchdown and a defensive touchdown in the same game.
 
Villanova led CAA Football and ranked third nationally in red zone defense (67.4 percent) and the Wildcats also posted a league-leading 119.90 defensive passing efficiency rating. The defense ranked second in the CAA and 12^th nationally in scoring defense (18.2) while finishing second in the league in passing yards allowed (171.5 per game) and third in total defense (326.2).
 
Villanova finished the 2024 season with a 10-4 record and reached the second round of the Division I Football Championship. After tallying a win over Eastern Kentucky in the first round of the playoffs, the Wildcats were one of six FCS teams to have reached 10 wins in at least three of the last four years.