Football Ranked No. 24 In Preseason AFCA Coaches’ Poll

RICHMOND, Va. – The University of Richmond football team is tied for 24^th in the nation in the preseason AFCA Coaches' FCS Top 25 Poll Monday. The Spiders are one of four teams from the Colonial Athletic Association in the national rankings, joining the likes of Villanova (5^th), Delaware (19^th) and Rhode Island (t-24^th).

Richmond finished last year with a 6-5 overall record, winning its final four games of the season finishing fourth in the conference. The Spiders enter the 2022 season carrying the longest active winning streak in the conference. The Spiders return 14 starters from last season's team, seven each on offense and defense, while adding some pivotal transfers and freshmen to the mix.

Defensively, the Spiders ranked third in the CAA last fall in scoring defense, limiting opponents to 20 points per game. Redshirt junior linebacker and team captain Tristan Wheeler (Bethlehem, Pa.) leads the defense as a preseason All-America selection and a member of the Buck Buchanan Award Watch List. He led the team and the CAA in total tackles in the regular season with 114. He ranked eighth in the nation in total tackles and tackles per game (10.4).

Redshirt sophomore defensive back Aamir Hall (Baltimore, Md.) headlines the deep defensive backfield after earning Freshman All-America honors last fall. He ranked fourth in the CAA with 13 pass breakups, the most for any freshman in the league.

Offensively, the Spiders have an entire new look with new offensive coordinator Billy Cosh coming over from VMI. Graduate transfer quarterback Reece Udinski (North Wales, Pa.) joins the program after an illustrious career with VMI and Maryland. He finished his Keydet career first in program history and sixth all-time in Southern Conference history with 7,877 career passing yards. He was 783-of-1,268 passing in his career while throwing for 48 touchdowns and rushing for four scores.

Graduate wide receiver Jakob Herres (Easton, Pa.) joins a deep receiving corps after finishing the spring 2021 season as a finalist for the Walter Payton Award. During his VMI career, he has caught 226 passes for 3,006 yards and 26 touchdowns – all of which are tops among active NCAA FCS wide receivers heading into the 2022 season.

Wide receiver Jasiah Williams (Petersburg, Va.) caught a team-high 48 passes in nine games, for 448 yards and two scores. Leroy Henley (Pompano Beach, Fla.) led the team with 459 yards receiving, recording 35 receptions and three scores. Redshirt senior running back Aaron Dykes (Knoxville, Tenn.) is back after leading the team with 11 total touchdowns, 10 of which came on offense.

American Football Coaches Association FCS Coaches' Top 25 Poll – August 15, 2022
Rank School (1st votes)
    1.   North Dakota St. (24), 624
    2.   Montana, 567
    3.   South Dakota St. (1), 566
    4.   Montana St., 560
    5.   Villanova, 493
    6.   Kennesaw St., 453
    7.   Sacramento St., 452
    8.   Missouri St., 405
    9. Southern Illinois, 379
10.   Stephen F. Austin, 362
11.   East Tennessee St., 352
12.   Eastern Washington, 337
13.   Chattanooga, 294
14. UIW, 277
15.   UT Martin, 257
16.   Southeastern Louisiana, 254
17.   Jackson St., 245
18. Holy Cross, 184
19.   Delaware, 172
20.   Weber St., 141
21.   Northern Iowa, 119
22.   UC Davis, 101
23.   Mercer, 78
24t. Richmond, 66
24t. Rhode Island, 66

*– Ranking in final AFCA FCS Coaches Spring Poll of 2021

Others Receiving Votes: South Dakota, 49; Florida A&M, 44; Harvard, 38; South Carolina St., 38; Princeton, 29; Central Arkansas, 23; Eastern Kentucky, 18; Dartmouth, 17; Nicholls, 8; Furman, 6; North Carolina A&T, 6; William & Mary, 6; Murray St., 5; Davidson, 3; Fordham, 3; Southeast Missouri St., 3; North Dakota, 2; Utah Tech, 2; Austin Peay, 1; Elon, 1.

--UR—

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Football Ranked No. 24 In Preseason AFCA Coaches’ Poll

Players Mentioned

Aaron Dykes

Aamir Hall

Leroy Henley

Jakob Herres

Reece Udinski

Tristan Wheeler

Jasiah Williams

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