Rhody Picked Third in CAA Preseason Football Poll, Three Rams Named All-Conference
Five Rhode Island players earned CAA Football Preseason All-Conference Team recognition and the Rams were picked to finish third in the league’s preseason poll, it was announced Thursday morning.
Tight end Caleb Warren, guard Nick Correia and cornerback Jordan Jones all were voted to the CAA Football Preseason All-Conference Team. Quarterback Kasim Hill and linebacker Evan Stewart both received honorable mention.
Warren earned First Team All-Conference honors in 2021. Despite missing three games with injury in the second half of the season, he was sixth among all conference players with his 16.7 yards per catch average. He emerged as one of the team’s top receiving targets, catching 23 passes for 385 yards and three touchdowns before his season ended prematurely.
Correia and Jones were both second-team selections last season. Correia started every game at left guard and helped the team average 133.5 rushing yards per game and just 2.3 sacks per game. Despite still having two seasons of eligibility, Correia has started a team-best 26 consecutive games at guard.
Jones started every game at cornerback finished with six interceptions and eight pass breakups.
He led an effort that resulted in the team breaking up 51 passes, the second most in program history. Jones was an Associated Press Second Team All-America selection in 2021.
Hill was one of the most productive offensive players in the league a year ago, passing for 2,178 yards and 18 touchdowns with just six interceptions. He ranked 30th nationally and third in the conference with an average of 13.1 points responsible for per game. Since transferring to Rhode Island, Hill has appeared in 14 games. Over that span, he has thrown for 2,568 yards and 20 touchdowns while adding 305 yards and eight more scores on the ground.
Stewart was a Phil Steele Freshman All-American in 2021. Despite having three seasons of eligibility remaining, he is entering his fourth season of college football, giving him deceiving experience in the middle of the defense. Stewart came to Rhode Island in 2020 and has started 13 of a possible 14 games since his arrival. Last season he led the team with 88 tackles and was second with seven pass breakups. In 14 career games with the Rams, Stewart already has 103 tackles.
Coming off a seven-win campaign in 2021, Rhode Island had 224 points in the team poll, trailing only Villanova (270) and Delaware (235). Villanova got 16 first-place votes, while Delaware received seven.
After the top three teams, the next three teams were Richmond (219 points), William & Mary (206, 2 first-place votes) and Elon (191 points, 1 first-place vote). The remainder of the poll was Stony Brook (151), Maine (134), New Hampshire (117), Monmouth (105), Towson (81), UAlbany (64) and Hampton (31).
2022 CAA FOOTBALL PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
(Selected by a vote of Head Coaches and Media Relations Directors)
OFFENSE
Tony Muskett, QB Monmouth
Ty Son Lawton, RB, Stony Brook
Bronson Yoder, RB, William & Mary
Luke Hamilton, FB, Towson
Jackson Parham, WR, Elon
Thyrick Pitts, WR, Delaware
Rayjoun Pringle, WR, Villanova
Caleb Warren, TE, Rhode Island
Michael Corbi, OL, Villanova
Nick Correia, OL, Rhode Island
Colin Gamroth, OL, Villanova
Michael Gerace, OL, Maine
Kyle Nunez, OL, Stony Brook
DEFENSE
Artis Hemmingway, DL, Delaware
Nate Lynn, DL, William & Mary
Chase McGowan, DL, Delaware
Josiah Silver, DL, New Hampshire
Jackson Ambush, LB, UAlbany
Johnny Buchanan, LB, Delaware
Tyler King, LB, Stony Brook
KeShaun LB, Moore, Hampton
Tristan Wheeler, LB, Richmond
Jordan Jones, CB, Rhode Island
Ryan Poole, CB, William & Mary
Cole Coleman, S, Elon
Kedrick Whitehead, S, Delaware
SPECIAL TEAMS
Aaron Dykes, KR, Richmond
Eddie Morales III, PR, Monmouth
Skyler Davis, PK, Elon
Tyler Pastula, P, UAlbany
TD Ayo-Durojaiye, Spec., Villanova
CAA FOOTBALL PRESEASON OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Ty Son Lawton, RB, Stony Brook
CAA FOOTBALL PRESEASON DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Nate Lynn, DL, William & Mary
Honorable mention: Nolan Henderson, QB, Delaware; Kasim Hill, QB, Rhode Island; Freddie Brock, RB, Maine; Juwon Farri, RB, Monmouth; Malachi Imoh, FB, William & Mary; Jadakis Bonds, WR, Hampton; Jaaron Hayek, WR, Villanova; Shawn Bowman, TE, Maine; Patrick Flynn, OL, New Hampshire; Colby Sorsdal, OL, William & Mary Anthony Lang, DL, UAlbany; Torrence Williams, DL, Elon; Evan Stewart, LB, Rhode Island; Tre’Von Jones, CB, Elon; Pop Bush, S, New Hampshire; Noah Plack, S, Delaware; D’Ago Hunter, KR/PR, Towson; Jourdan Townsend, PR, Delaware; Ryan Kost, P, Monmouth; Alex Washington, SPEC, William & Mary
2022 CAA FOOTBALL PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
(Selected by a vote of Head Coaches and Media Relations Directors)
1. Villanova (16) – 270
2. Delaware (7) – 235
3. Rhode Island – 224
4. Richmond – 219
5. William & Mary (2) – 206
6. Elon (1) – 191
7. Stony Brook – 151
8. Maine – 134
9. New Hampshire – 117
10. Monmouth – 105
11. Towson – 81
12. UAlbany – 64
13. Hampton – 31
First-place votes in parenthesis
