For longtime followers of the FCS and those who know CAA Football from its glory days, the conference is a point of contention in its new form.
The largest league in the subdivision lacks the national championship-contending standard-bearers found to the west. And ever still, the CAA remains stocked with teams throughout its top half that can reasonably lay claim to, “We can make the playoffs without surprising many folks.” Once there, though, the ceiling seems to be the final four.
Whether CAA Football is actually past its glory days depends on how one views the parity seen in each half of the conference – because whether you are a skeptical fan of a top-five-team in the Missouri Valley or Big Sky, or you are a SoCon fan angling for East Coast supremacy in the 2020s, the CAA remains among the most entertaining playoff races in the country. The very middle of the conference, Rhode Island and Towson, represents the fun of a bubble that only has so much real estate for candidates from one (big) league that don’t always cross over in the regular season. That’s sure to be discussed in November.
In the meantime, here is our preseason assessment of the Coastal Athletic Association Football Conference.
Preseason All-Americans
Villanova (2) – DB Isas Waxter (1st Team), LB Shane Hartzell (2nd Team)
William & Mary (2) – OL Charles Grant (1st Team), RB Bronson Yoder (2nd Team)
Delaware (1) – AP Marcus Yarns (1st Team)
Elon (1) – DB Caleb Curtain (2nd Team)
Rhode Island (1) – LB AJ Pena (2nd Team)
Richmond (1) – WR Nick DeGennaro (1st Team)
Towson (1) – TE Carter Runyon (2nd Team)
UAlbany (1) – AP Griffin Woodell (2nd Team)
Teams Bringing In The Most D1 Transfers
FBS-to-FCS Transfers & FCS-to-FCS Transfers
UAlbany — 21 (10 FBS, 11 FCS)
Campbell — 20 (12 FBS, 8 FCS)
Bryant — 17 (12 FBS, 5 FCS)
Hampton — 17 (9 FBS, 8 FCS)
Rhode Island — 14 (6 FBS, 8 FCS)
Delaware — 11 (9 FBS, 2 FCS)
Elon — 10 (7 FBS, 3 FCS)
Stony Brook — 10 (4 FBS, 6 FCS)
Names To Know
TOP OFFENSIVE PLAYER: Marcus Yarns, Delaware RB — For a Blue Hen offense better known for passing under head coach Ryan Carty, Yarns showed that the Hens’ tempo spread can be RB-friendly, too. Yarns broke through in 2023 to the tune of 939 rushing yards and 15 ground touchdowns, and his five total TDs in a win at Towson were the standout among six games with multiple TDs. With pro scouts parading through fall camp and Yarns turning into Delaware’s undisputed lead back (he started only once in 2022’s 13 appearances), there’s a lot riding on what Yarns displays in the backfield and in the slot in his graduate season.
TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYER: AJ Pena, Rhode Island LB — Now a junior, Pena has put together two consecutive productive seasons, coming into his own in the way of sacks last year. Pena’s nine sacks in ’23 (after 5.5 in ’22) make him the CAA’s leading returner in the category. The 6-2, 243 ’backer added greater disruption to his resume a season ago, forcing two fumbles and notching an interception in addition to his 15.5 tackles for loss that ranked top-20 nationally per game. On a Rams squad trying to extend its playoff window with reinforcements such as former Sacred Heart running back Malik Grant, Pena will be one to watch on defense as URI contends with opposing QBs including Monmouth’s Derek Robertson and Delaware’s Ryan O’Connor late in the year.
TOP NFL PROSPECT: Charles Grant, William & Mary OT — W&M’s 6-foot-4, 300-pound lineman built on being a 2022 HERO Sports Sophomore All-American by turning in 2023’s best pass-blocking efficiency mark among CAA tackles. (He allowed one sack on 334 pass-blocking snaps.) The consensus All-American ranks as Josh Buchanan’s No. 5 “small school” prospect in the 2025 class. Grant is back for his fifth year with the COVID eligibility relief dating back to his true freshman season as a reserve. Seeing as the Tribe figures to continue running the ball authoritatively, Grant has the opportunity to put all facets of his game on display starting with the continuation of his 24-game starting streak.
HERO Sports’ Predicted Order of Finish
- Villanova
- UAlbany
- Elon
- William & Mary
- Richmond
- Delaware
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Towson
- Monmouth
- Stony Brook
- Bryant
- Maine
- Hampton
- Campbell
- North Carolina A&T
The more time that passes from James Madison’s era in which it was affixed to the ‘1’ line in predicted finishes, the harder it gets to decipher the CAA in the preseason. That doesn’t mean there isn’t power in the pecking order, though, and someone will jump this line in late October or so, too.
Villanova passes the sniff test to be the favorite in August. The Wildcats return quarterback Connor Watkins, the conference preseason OPOY. They have two All-Americans on defense entering the year, which should assist in a stingy identity on ‘D,’ compensating for losses on the flip side (in offensive skill positions other than QB). The Wildcats are led by a head coach in Mark Ferrante who has presided over three playoff appearances in six fall seasons at the helm, two of which included at least a share of the CAA title. Nova has not finished a fall campaign with fewer than five overall wins since going 2-9 in 2011; Ferrante has been there for all of it.
Villanova’s schedule this season is soft in conference on the road, as the ’Cats need only to travel to Stony Brook, Maine, Hampton, and nearby Monmouth – those teams average No. 12 in the POOF above. Plus, Nova tends to finish regular seasons strongly, namely in its now-endangered rivalry with FBS-bound Delaware.
Although Delaware isn’t punting on its playoff-ineligible transition season (nor is it redshirting the farm), seeing as it is playing a full CAA lineup on top of its opener against Bryant that was and is scheduled as nonconference, the teams surrounding the Blue Hens in this POOF benefit from UD staying out of the postseason mix. It simplifies what will be a jammed at-large bunch anyway.
In our math predicting the league schedule (game-by-game) to produce the projected standings, Delaware ties Elon, William & Mary, Richmond, and New Hampshire at 6-2 in CAA play, but all four of the former are the playoff beneficiaries pending the at-large picture nationally.
Elon feels frequently underrated in conference preseason polls given that it has hit a minimum of four league victories in every fall season since 2017, the year head coach Tony Trisciani started as defensive coordinator there. The trick for the Phoenix in 2024 is navigating a nonconference slate that includes FBS Duke and North Carolina Central, plus Western Carolina – it’s apparent that Elon isn’t partaking in the OOC cupcakes seen elsewhere, really leaning into playing tests vs. the region.
In the arms race on offense, the Phoenix can pit seventh-year/CAA preseason honorable mention QB Matthew Downing and his all-league receiver, Chandler Brayboy, against William & Mary’s All-America tailback Bronson Yoder and Richmond’s AA counterpart, Nick DeGennaro. New Hampshire has to ID its offensive linchpins in life after QB Max Brosmer and AP phenom Dylan Laube, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a strong tradition like UNH flip several of last season’s close results, as the Wildcats lost four one-score games.
The UAlbany lede has been buried, but the Great Danes are a fascinating reload story after being semifinalists a year ago. As much as transfer departures have a say in the ’24 outlook, the program was active this offseason in welcoming newcomers who can attempt to bridge 2023 to a real run under HC Greg Gattuso. The chance is there this fall with CAA games having the Danes likely favored against Maine, Bryant, rival Stony Brook, and Hampton while they host Elon and New Hampshire in harder affairs on paper. Particularly intriguing is the possibility of UAlbany partly replacing Reese Poffenbarger’s aerial production with Wisconsin QB transfer Myles Burkett throwing to Georgia State WR transfer Jacari Carter. That’s not to mention retaining Griffin Woodell after the running back’s 2023 insurgence of touches won him CAA Offensive Rookie of the Year.
