Bryant’s Landon Ruggieri Named First Team All-CAA

CAA Football announced its 2024 post-season award winners on Tuesday, headlined by Monmouth senior quarterback Derek Robertson earning the league’s Offensive Player of the Year award and New Hampshire senior defensive end Josiah Silver being selected as the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Other major award recipients included Stony Brook’s Billy Cosh as CAA Coach of the Year, Elon senior wide receiver/kick returner Chandler Brayboy as Special Teams Player of the Year, Villanova freshman running back David Avit as Offensive Rookie of the Year and Richmond freshman safety Matthew Traynor as Defensive Rookie of the Year. Elon junior safety Caleb Curtain was honored with the Chuck Boone Leadership and Excellence Award. CAA Football’s all-conference awards are voted on by the league’s head coaches.

Robertson turned in a record-setting season at the controls of Monmouth’s high-powered offense. The senior completed 283-of-435 passes for a program-record 3,937 yards while setting a new MU mark with 31 touchdowns. The 3,937 passing yards lead the nation and are the 3rd-most in CAA history, while the 31 TD passes rank third in FCS. He threw for more than 350 yards in seven games and had multiple TD throws in 10 contests.

Silver capped an outstanding career with a stellar senior season. The defensive end ranked fifth in the nation with 11.5 sacks and was 11th in FCS with 17.5 tackles for loss. He also contributed 58 tackles, four quarterback hurries and a forced fumble for a UNH defense that allowed just 287.5 yards and 17.5 points per game in CAA play. Silver is the all-time sacks leader at UNH with 37.5.

Picked to finish last in the league’s preseason poll, Cosh guided Stony Brook to an 8-4 overall record and a 5-3 mark in CAA play in his first year as head coach. The Seawolves recorded their most overall victories since 2017 and achieved their highest national ranking (16th) since 2018. Stony Brook recorded the biggest turnaround in FCS football this season after going 0-10 in 2023.

Brayboy ranked second in the nation with a 35.3-yard average on 16 kickoff returns, including touchdown returns of 94 and 93 yards in a win over UAlbany. The senior ranks fifth in FCS in all-purpose yardage (151.4 ypg) and is the leading receiver for the Phoenix with 59 catches for 979 yards and eight touchdowns.

Avit rushed for a team-high 793 yards and nine touchdowns and added nine receptions for 100 yards for Villanova. The freshman ranked ninth in the CAA in rushing and topped the 100-yard mark twice, highlighted by a 183-yard, four-touchdown performance against Stony Brook.

Traynor contributed 64 tackles, including a team-high 48 solo stops, for a Richmond defense that led the CAA and ranked 8th nationally in scoring defense (17.5 ppg). The freshman safety also contributed 4.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and three pass breakups.

Curtain was the recipient of the prestigious Chuck Boone Leadership and Excellence Award in 2024, an honor that embodies the highest standards of leadership, integrity, teamwork and sportsmanship in academics and athletics. The Elon safety earned first-team All-CAA accolades after recording a team-high 75 tackles, two interceptions and nine pass breakups. Curtain has achieved a 3.24 grade point average as a marketing major and holds leadership positions in several campus organizations.

2024 CAA Football First Team Offense

Player, School Pos. Class Hometown
Derek Robertson, Monmouth QB Sr. Hartsdale, N.Y.
Roland Dempster, Stony Brook RB Sr. Staten Island, N.Y.
Marcus Yarns, Delaware RB Gr. Salisbury, Md.
Sone Ntoh, Monmouth FB/HB Gr. Macungie, Pa.
Chandler Brayboy, Elon WR Sr. Pembroke, N.C.
Sincere Brown, Campbell WR Sr. Charleston, S.C.
Landon Ruggieri, Bryant WR Sr. Yorktown Heights, N.Y.
Carter Runyon, Towson TE Sr. Fairfax, Va.
Kevin Burkett, Elon OL Sr. Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Tom Elia, Richmond OL Gr. Pittsburgh, Pa.
Brock Gingrich, Delaware OL Gr. Reinholds, Pa.
Charles Grant, William & Mary OL Sr. Portsmouth, Va.
Jake Picard, Villanova OL Sr. Hope, R.I.
Nick Mazzie, New Hampshire PK Jr. Boxford, Mass.
Chandler Brayboy, Elon KR Sr. Pembroke, N.C.
Carson Jenkins, William & Mary PR So. Gate City, Va.