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The University of Rhode Island will enter this football season as the prohibitive favorite to retain its Coastal Athletic Association crown.
The Rams collected all but one of the 13 available first-place votes cast by the league’s coaches in a poll released Wednesday morning. URI had 10 players selected for all-conference recognition, including seven to the first team and the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year in quarterback Devin Farrell.
Bryant has some work to do if it hopes to close the gap on an in-state rival. The Bulldogs were picked ninth in the preseason poll and placed one player on the all-conference first team. Kick returner Keylijah Williams is expected to be the league’s most dangerous when it comes to running back kickoffs.
Monmouth, Elon and New Hampshire followed the Rams in the team poll. Stony Brook picked up the other first-place vote while being slotted fifth. Towson, Maine and Campbell sat ahead of Bryant from sixth through eighth, respectively.
The Rams are in the type of golden age they haven’t enjoyed since the 1980s, posting consecutive 11-3 campaigns overall and returning 15 projected starters. URI is in search of a third straight Football Championship Subdivision playoff berth and has posted a combined 15-1 mark in league play over the last two seasons. The Rams ended their 2025 campaign with a 47-26 defeat at the University of California at Davis, a loss that snapped a seven-game winning streak.
“It’s all a very nice honor and it’s a great tribute to the advancement of the program and the respect the other coaches have for us,” URI coach Jim Fleming said. “But this team is a different team and we’ve got a lot to earn.”
Farrell was named to the CAA first team last season — program legend Tom Ehrhardt was the last such selection in the Yankee Conference in 1984. Farrell threw for 3,745 yards, completed 65% of his passes and accounted for 27 total touchdowns. He also started a career-high 14 games, including an FCS playoff win over Central Connecticut and a road defeat to the Aggies that ended the season.
Farrell counts three other offensive players with him on the first team — wide receivers Marquis Buchanan and Aboraa Kwarteng and lineman Tre Alexander. Buchanan was an All-American last season after topping FCS with 1,337 receiving yards and adding eight touchdowns, a performance that left the Classical alum on the cusp of rewriting program career record books. Kwarteng put up a pair of 100-yard receiving games in 2025 and should assume a larger role this season while Alexander has made 16 straight starts up front.
“I’m just a loyal guy,” Buchanan said. “I love being at home. What we’ve built here has been special.”
Defensive lineman Case Mankins and linebackers Rohan Davy and Moses Meus were named to the defensive first team for URI. Mankins totaled 55 tackles and four sacks up front for the Rams last season while Davy finished second on the team in tackles, tackles for loss and sacks in his disruptive hybrid role. Meus topped URI with 110 tackles, emerging as a star after being recruited out of Pawtucket and St. Raphael Academy.
“That’s just an individual award,” Mankins said. “Those team awards — that CAA ranking — means a whole lot more.”
Running back Brendon Barrow, cornerback Trey Lubin and safety Andre DePina-Gray received honorable mention selections for the Rams. Barrow should earn a larger share of the carries in the backfield and Lubin debuted after a transfer from Memphis with 40 tackles and seven pass breakups. DePina-Gray was fifth on the team in tackles while continuing to build on a track record that started alongside Meus in high school with the Saints.
“There are a number of players who have had the experience of going through two championships in a row,” Fleming said. “I think they’re still very hungry to be able to do something that is incredibly difficult.”
The Bulldogs closed 3-9 overall last season, following a shocking upset at Massachusetts and a blowout of Bentley with six straight defeats. Bryant finally broke through with a 27-24 road win over Albany, its lone conference success of 2025. The Bulldogs finished 2-3 in games decided by single digits and were swept by Brown and the Rams in consecutive weeks.
“We’re ready to turn the corner,” Bryant head coach Chris Merritt said. “I think it’s time for us if we’re going to put up or shut up — however you want to phrase it. But I’m excited because we had a great summer with the guys.”
Williams started all 12 games for Bryant as its primary kick returner and saw action as a wide receiver. He led the CAA with 722 return yards, including three games of 100 or more and a 100-yard touchdown dash against the Camels that matched a program record as the longest in Bulldogs history. Williams totaled four receptions on offense and could be in line for a larger role in 2026.
Bryant counted one honorable mention selection in offensive lineman Wyatt Whalen, who appeared in all but one of his team’s 12 games last season. Whalen is a fellow Florida native alongside Williams and should help anchor a group that averaged 325 yards per game in 2025. The Bulldogs hit for 24 points or more six times, including a season-high 48 in a double-overtime loss at Campbell.
“We’ve never spent this much time together off the field,” Whalen said. “Having everybody here throughout the summer has been huge.”
League newcomer Sacred Heart, the Great Danes, North Carolina A&T and Hampton occupy the bottom four spots in the preseason standings. Hawks linebacker Jaeden Jones was named the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year after racking up 118 tackles, five tackles for loss and three pass breakups last season. Monmouth closed 9-3 while leading FCS in total offense and ranking fifth in points per game.
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On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: URI football favored to lead CAA again in preseason poll
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The Rams collected all but one of the 13 available first-place votes cast by the league’s coaches in a poll released Wednesday morning. URI had 10 players selected for all-conference recognition, including seven to the first team and the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year in quarterback Devin Farrell.
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Bryant has some work to do if it hopes to close the gap on an in-state rival. The Bulldogs were picked ninth in the preseason poll and placed one player on the all-conference first team. Kick returner Keylijah Williams is expected to be the league’s most dangerous when it comes to running back kickoffs.
Monmouth, Elon and New Hampshire followed the Rams in the team poll. Stony Brook picked up the other first-place vote while being slotted fifth. Towson, Maine and Campbell sat ahead of Bryant from sixth through eighth, respectively.
The Rams are in the type of golden age they haven’t enjoyed since the 1980s, posting consecutive 11-3 campaigns overall and returning 15 projected starters. URI is in search of a third straight Football Championship Subdivision playoff berth and has posted a combined 15-1 mark in league play over the last two seasons. The Rams ended their 2025 campaign with a 47-26 defeat at the University of California at Davis, a loss that snapped a seven-game winning streak.
“It’s all a very nice honor and it’s a great tribute to the advancement of the program and the respect the other coaches have for us,” URI coach Jim Fleming said. “But this team is a different team and we’ve got a lot to earn.”
Farrell was named to the CAA first team last season — program legend Tom Ehrhardt was the last such selection in the Yankee Conference in 1984. Farrell threw for 3,745 yards, completed 65% of his passes and accounted for 27 total touchdowns. He also started a career-high 14 games, including an FCS playoff win over Central Connecticut and a road defeat to the Aggies that ended the season.
Farrell counts three other offensive players with him on the first team — wide receivers Marquis Buchanan and Aboraa Kwarteng and lineman Tre Alexander. Buchanan was an All-American last season after topping FCS with 1,337 receiving yards and adding eight touchdowns, a performance that left the Classical alum on the cusp of rewriting program career record books. Kwarteng put up a pair of 100-yard receiving games in 2025 and should assume a larger role this season while Alexander has made 16 straight starts up front.
“I’m just a loyal guy,” Buchanan said. “I love being at home. What we’ve built here has been special.”
You must be registered for see images attach
Defensive lineman Case Mankins and linebackers Rohan Davy and Moses Meus were named to the defensive first team for URI. Mankins totaled 55 tackles and four sacks up front for the Rams last season while Davy finished second on the team in tackles, tackles for loss and sacks in his disruptive hybrid role. Meus topped URI with 110 tackles, emerging as a star after being recruited out of Pawtucket and St. Raphael Academy.
“That’s just an individual award,” Mankins said. “Those team awards — that CAA ranking — means a whole lot more.”
Running back Brendon Barrow, cornerback Trey Lubin and safety Andre DePina-Gray received honorable mention selections for the Rams. Barrow should earn a larger share of the carries in the backfield and Lubin debuted after a transfer from Memphis with 40 tackles and seven pass breakups. DePina-Gray was fifth on the team in tackles while continuing to build on a track record that started alongside Meus in high school with the Saints.
“There are a number of players who have had the experience of going through two championships in a row,” Fleming said. “I think they’re still very hungry to be able to do something that is incredibly difficult.”
The Bulldogs closed 3-9 overall last season, following a shocking upset at Massachusetts and a blowout of Bentley with six straight defeats. Bryant finally broke through with a 27-24 road win over Albany, its lone conference success of 2025. The Bulldogs finished 2-3 in games decided by single digits and were swept by Brown and the Rams in consecutive weeks.
“We’re ready to turn the corner,” Bryant head coach Chris Merritt said. “I think it’s time for us if we’re going to put up or shut up — however you want to phrase it. But I’m excited because we had a great summer with the guys.”
Williams started all 12 games for Bryant as its primary kick returner and saw action as a wide receiver. He led the CAA with 722 return yards, including three games of 100 or more and a 100-yard touchdown dash against the Camels that matched a program record as the longest in Bulldogs history. Williams totaled four receptions on offense and could be in line for a larger role in 2026.
Bryant counted one honorable mention selection in offensive lineman Wyatt Whalen, who appeared in all but one of his team’s 12 games last season. Whalen is a fellow Florida native alongside Williams and should help anchor a group that averaged 325 yards per game in 2025. The Bulldogs hit for 24 points or more six times, including a season-high 48 in a double-overtime loss at Campbell.
“We’ve never spent this much time together off the field,” Whalen said. “Having everybody here throughout the summer has been huge.”
League newcomer Sacred Heart, the Great Danes, North Carolina A&T and Hampton occupy the bottom four spots in the preseason standings. Hawks linebacker Jaeden Jones was named the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year after racking up 118 tackles, five tackles for loss and three pass breakups last season. Monmouth closed 9-3 while leading FCS in total offense and ranking fifth in points per game.
[email protected]
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: URI football favored to lead CAA again in preseason poll
Continue reading...
