Media days introduced some of the names and the storylines that will shape the 2024 Coastal Athletic Association football season. 

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Coming off a 2023 season in which three teams shared the CAA Football championship — UAlbany, Richmond and Villanova — the competition to reach the top of the conference only intensifies. The Coastal should be deeper than ever with a record 16 teams competing in 2024, the majority of which have the complexion of FCS Playoffs teams. 

Players and coaches from all 16 CAA Football programs discussed some of the most compelling subplots ahead of this landmark season during the July 24 & 25 media days.  

2022 Guides Villanova Into 2024 

The bevy of returning contributors from Villanova's outstanding 2023 team is why the Wildcats were chosen as 2024 CAA favorites. However, it's the 2022 season that Villanova coach Mark Ferrante and the team's veterans look to for a roadmap in the season to come.  

"We've already spoken about as a team," defensive back Ice Waxter said, referring to the Wildcats' preseason distinction as the team to beat in 2022. Coming off a 10-3 finish with a share of the conference championship and a trip to the FCS quarterfinals in 2021, Villanova backslid to 6-5 and missed the Playoffs. 

"For us as a program, we don't like to shy away from pressure," Waxter continued. "Being considered No. 1, that's nothing to shy away from. We've just got to work a little bit harder, put a little extra effort in to make that come to reality for us." 

Quarterback Connor Watkins, the preseason CAA Offensive Player of the Year, noted his taking over for Daniel Smith as Villanova's quarterback in 2022. Having been in that situation, the captain of the Wildcats offense has some additional motivation to avoid a repeat of two years ago. 

"That was a reality check for a lot of us, especially me," Watkins said. "Going into last season, [the emphasis] was, 'How can prevent any hiccups? How can we get everybody bought into the same message?'"  

"They came out of the [2022] season feeling that we underperformed," Ferrante said, adding the players took charge of engineering the turnaround. "They did a great job in the offseason having meetings on their own...handling things behind the scenes."

Some of the leaders who Ferranted credited for Villanova flipping the script from the disappointment of 2022 to the triumph of 2023 return in 2024. It's a group that includes Watkins and the various standout upperclassmen on the Wildcats defense, including Waxter and linebackers Brendan Bell and Shane Hartzell. 

UAlbany Reloads Up Front Following Historic 2023 

Of the three teams that split the CAA championship a season ago, only UAlbany scored wins over the other two. The Great Danes also lasted the longest of any Coastal team in the Playoffs, advancing to the national semifinals. 

Both the conference title and deep postseason run were program firsts. Great Danes coach Greg Gattuso said he hopes UAlbany builds on the momentum. 

"The way [the players] work, the way they've trained, I think the lesson of being a great teammate has resonated and I can see it this summer with all the people we have that are joining our football team," Gattuso said. "It seems like we haven't skipped a beat, which is really hard to do, but we're very optimistic that we carry over from that type of season."

UAlbany faces some substantial roster turnover with quarterback Reese Poffenbarger transferring to Miami, Aamir Hall headed to Michigan, and Anton Juncaj at Arkansas. However, a combination of noteworthy transfers and key returners are poised to keep the Great Danes in the hunt. 

Wide receiver MarQeese Dietz, running back Griffin Woodell and perhaps most importantly, a veteran offensive line are all part of the returning contingent. Ozzie Hutchinson and Scott Houseman represented UAlbany at media days, and they join Austin Mosier and Sean Dugery to reform a dominant front. 

The strength of the offensive line should ease the adjustment with a new quarterback taking over for Poffenbarger. He isn't the first standout passer UAlbany has had to replace in recent years, though. 

"We go all the way to back to [2019] when Jeff Undercuffler became the quarterback. Guys are given opportunities, and I think we did that when Reese got here," Gattuso said. "We feel really about both Myles [Burkett] and Trey [Lindsey]...We're going to look a little different. There's no doubt about it. But there's a lot of ways to be exciting on offense, and it's not just scrambling, running around, throwing the ball downfield." 

Development in the Age of "Speed Dating" 

Transfers have become an increasingly important part of roster makeup since the NCAA relaxed its rules on movement in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic — and Elon has benefited from adding veteran players to its roster in the program's best three-year run since joining the CAA. Two of the Phoenix's key players in their pursuit of a first-ever CAA championship, quarterback Matt Downing and safety Khalil Baker, came to Elon from TCU and North Carolina Central.

However, Elon coach Tony Trisciani said long-term development is critical to the program's success, and he provided a fitting analogy as to why relying too heavily on rosters pieced together through the transfer portal can become a problem. 

"It's a bit like speed dating," he said. "You've got to learn a whole lot about each other in a short time." 

For this reason, Trisciani and his Phoenix staff recruit the transfer portal judiciously, often pursuing players with whom they have previous familiarity — like the All-American defensive back Baker. Meanwhile, the Elon staff places continued emphasis on developing prospects over multiple seasons. 

The results of that approach have paid dividends for Elon, including on the 2024 Phoenix roster. CAA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Caleb Curtain and All-CAA honoree Chandler Brayboy, for example, embark on their fourth and sixth years in the program. 

Passing on the Transfer Portal 

Some marquee talent exited the CAA via the transfer portal, including the nation's leading passer in 2023, UAlbany's Poffenberger and William & Mary All-American linebacker John Pius. Likewise, no shortage of new faces — and in some cases, like Stony Brook wide receiver Jasiah Williams and Monmouth quarterback Derek Robertson, familiar faces — lead new teams in the CAA in 2024. 

But the conference is also brimming with top-notch and established playmakers within their programs. Both the Offensive and Defensive Preseason Players of the Year, Villanova's Watkins and Elon's Curtain, are examples. 

At William & Mary, meanwhile, the Tribe's offense builds in part on do-it-all running back and super senior Bronson Yoder. 

"There are opportunities for every college football player to get up and leave now. The transfer portal is crazy. We all know that," Yoder said. "But William & Mary is a special place. I met my fiancee here. I love it in Williamsburg. Ad we've got great coaches who clearly love us and our teammates genuinely love us." 

Tribe coach Mike London said establishing William & Mary as a program that retains players year-to-year is a top priority, and not only for the sake of winning football. London touted the university's academics and alumni base as crucial factors. 

The bonds coaches and players establish also play important roles, as Yoder noted. The same is true for New Hampshire All-American defensive end Josiah Silver, who is back for another season as an anchor for the Wildcats defense. 

"Coach [Rick] Santos was the only one that gave me a chance out of high school," said Silver, who came to UNH via Phoebus High School in Hampton, Virginia. "I just wanted to ride-or-die with my guy." 

Silver also pointed to the trail that his former Wildcats teammate Dylan Laube helped blaze, parlaying his career-long success at UNH into NFL opportunity. Laube's sensational 2022 and 2023 seasons, leading the FCS in all-purpose yardage, became an invitation to January's Senior Bowl. 

Laube's showing at the Senior Bowl turned into his being selected by the Las Vegas Raiders in the NFL draft. 

"Coach Santos told me the same way that they utilized Dylan, they would utilize me on defense. My end goal is to make the NFL. I have one year left so I wanted to stay in the best situation for me to reach my goal." - Josiah Silver

From Campbell to the NFL 

Autumn 2023 was a special time for Campbell football. Not only did the Camels debut as members of the CAA, but the program saw alumni appear in regular-season NFL games for the first time ever. 

Former Campbell tight end Julian Hill turned heads in his rookie campaign with the Miami Dolphins, becoming a regular fixture of the rotation with appearances in 15 games. He followed former Camels defensive end Brevin Allen, who suited up for the Dolphins in Week 1. Offensive lineman Mike Edwards aims to join them in the league with the Buffalo Bills. 

The recent influx of Camels to the NFL is another indicator, along with its introduction to the CAA, of the Campbell football program's impressive rise. A non-scholarship program as recently as 2017, it has grown to a level where making the jump to the NFL is more than viable, and contending for supremacy in a top-tier league like the CAA is an attainable goal. 

"It instills confidence," Camels linebacker CJ Tillman said of watching Campbell alums in the pros. "It instills a sense that no matter where you're at, if you're good enough [the NFL is] going to find you."

"It doesn't matter where you come from or where you started," he added. "What matters is the work you put in." 

Rhode Island Looking to Break Through 

October marks the 20-year anniversary since one of sports' most noteworthy droughts ended with the Boston Red Sox winning the organization's first World Series since 1918. Perhaps the most noteworthy drought now on the New England sports landscape is Rhode Island's 39-year absence from the playoff field. 

Coach Jim Fleming has steadily built Rhode Island football into a contender, cracking the Top 25 and finishing with winning records the last few seasons. The milestone that evades the Rams is that postseason berth, a goal the 2024 Rams intend to reach. 

"Me, [defensive lineman Westley Neal Jr.] and everybody else have been instilling the culture that's been brewing for the past two or three years," said All-CAA linebacker A.J. Pena. "It's hard [not ending the playoff drought], I'm not going to lie. We always question how we approach things [to see where to improve] and we're going to be all-around great." 

That, Pena said, means being all-in on focus of team goals over individual accolades. 

First-Year Coaches Join The Fray 

The CAA welcomes three first-year head coaches in 2024, each of whom made their formal introductions to CAA press during media days: Campbell's Braxton Harris, Stony Brook's Billy Cosh and Hampton's Trent Boykin. 

Boykin took over at Hampton late in the spring after four seasons as a Pirates assistant. He coached an outstanding corps of running backs who were highlights of Hampton's first two CAA seasons, including returner Elijah Burris. Boykin knows well what to anticipate from the conference in his new Pirates post. 

"This is a great group of young men who have a lot of football experience," Boykin said. "You're starting to see that come together. And the fact that you start off in one conference [the Big South] and now you're now in the CAA, now we're going into our third year and have a better idea of what to expect, you can see the growth of our guys."

Cosh is making his return to the CAA, having served as offensive coordinator at Richmond before spending the 2023 season at Western Michigan. Harris is a newcomer to the league, but no stranger to Campbell: He was the linebackers coach and run-game coordinator for two seasons, and the Camel's associated head coach in 2022, their last season in the Big South. 

Despite this season marking his introduction to the conference, Harris returns to Buies Creek from a one-year stint as Houston Christian head coach fully aware of what to anticipate in the CAA. 

"This is a conference that leads the way...able to get multiple teams in the Playoffs year in and year out," Harris said. "You're competing against the absolute best every single year. As a coach and as a competitor, that's what you want to do. You want to measure yourself against the best."

The Last Dance for Delaware and Richmond 

The 2024 season marks the final for Delaware and Richmond in the CAA. Delaware joins James Madison, Georgia State, and Old Dominion among former CAA members reclassified in the Football Bowl Subdivision, while Richmond will head to the Patriot League. 

Because Delaware is readying its roster for Conference USA, the Blue Hens are not eligible for the FCS Playoffs or CAA championship. Still, UD coach Ryan Carty said that "the goals kind of remain the same as far as winning each game and that we play the right way." 

Carty both played in the CAA and was an assistant coach in the league before returning to head up his alma mater. He credited the conference for supporting Delaware's tradition and growth as a program. 

"What as propelled us to our next spot is how great of a conference that we've had the opportunity to play in," he said. "From the Atlantic 10 to the CAA. We're excited about the next phase...but we're not worried about that right now as much as we are Bryant [Delaware's opponent in Week 1 for a non-conference matchup]." 

As for defending co-champion Richmond, the Spiders will be able to contend for a third consecutive FCS Playoffs appearance, a feat accomplished only twice before in program history (2007 through 2010, 2014 through 2016). 

"Every year is different, every team is different," said Richmond coach Russ Huesman. "But we go in, one of our goals is to be in the NCAA playoffs every year. It doesn't make any difference. And same thing with another goal is the CAA championship."

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