UNH Picked Second in CAA and Five 'Cats Named Preseason All-Conference

RICHMOND, Va. – The University of New Hampshire football team, co-champions of the CAA last year, was picked second in the 2023 Coastal Athletic Association football preseason poll and five Wildcats were voted to the CAA Football Preseason All-Conference Team on Tuesday.

Junior quarterback Max Brosmer (Roswell, Ga.), senior running back Dylan Laube (Westhampton, N.Y.) and senior tight end Kyle Lepkowski (Adamstown, Md.) were named on offense while the defensive line features juniors Dylan Ruiz (Kissimmee, Fla.) and Josiah Silver (Hampton, Va.). Laube was also selected as the punt returner on special teams.

Sophomore wide receiver Joey Corcoran (Montreal, Quebec) received Honorable Mention.

UNH received one first-place vote and 179 points to place behind the College of William & Mary, which received 13 first-place votes and 195 points. The University of Richmond (159 points), University of Delaware (149; one first-place) and Elon University (146) round out the top five.

UNH, ranked No. 8 in the Athlon preseason poll and 14^th in the HERO Sports poll, kicks off the 2023 season Sept. 2 at Stonehill College. The Wildcats' home opener is Sept. 16 against Dartmouth College.

UNH football Season Ticket Memberships, including the Service Credit Union Victory Club, are on sale now and can be purchased online by CLICKING HERE.

Plans start as low as $99 and include special benefits such as invites to exclusive events, complimentary tickets to UNH sporting events, first right to special events such as playoffs, and presale opportunities to Homecoming. Group and Hospitality tickets are also on sale. For questions regarding tickets, please email unh.tickets@unh.edu.

2023 CAA Football Predicted Order of Finish

William & Mary (13) 195
UNH (1) 179
Richmond 159
Delaware (1) 149
Elon 146
Rhode Island 135
Villanova 129
Monmouth 94
Towson 85
North Carolina A&T 70
UAlbany 64
Campbell 62
Maine 40
Stony Brook 38
Hampton 30

Brosmer, the 2022 CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year, put together a very impressive season in which he ranked No. 9 in the nation in both passing yards (3,157) and passing touchdowns (27). The 3,157 passing yards ranks No. 5 on UNH's list of single-season superlatives, and his 5,252 career passing yards is No. 8 in program history.

Brosmer ended the season with a touchdown pass in 12 consecutive games, including multiple TDs each of the last six with three at Richmond, Maine and vs. Fordham in the first round of the NCAA playoffs; he finished with a career-high 348 passing yards in that game against Fordham. Brosmer threw multiple touchdowns a total of nine times with a high of four vs. N.C. Central in Game 3.

Laube, who was named to seven postseason All-America Teams in 2022 and three preseason All-America Teams in 2023, finished the 2022 season as the national leader in all-purpose yards per game (194.3) and ranked in the Top 10 in four other stats: No. 2 in total touchdowns (19), No. 4 in scoring (9.5 points/game), No. 8 in rushing TDs (15), and No. 8 in punt return average (13.7 yards/return).

On the CAA leaderboard, Laube ranked in the Top 5 in nine stats – including No. 1 in all-purpose yards/game, scoring, total touchdowns and kickoff return average (25.8 yards/return) – and he was the team leader in 14 statistics.

Laube broke or tied three UNH records and also broke a pair of Wildcat Stadium records. He finished the season with 1,209 rushing yards, which ranks seventh on UNH's list of single-season superlatives.

Lepkowski ranked second on the team in receiving yards (542) and third in receptions (42), and he pulled in two TD receptions. It marked the most receptions by a UNH tight end since 2015 and most receiving yards since 2014. He averaged 23.9 yards per catch – with a long of 42 yards – and 41.7 receiving yards per game.

Lepkowski led the Wildcats in receiving yards in two games and in receptions twice. He pulled in seven catches for 121 yards against Monmouth to lead the 'Cats in both stats. He also had a team-high 81 receiving yards vs. URI and three catches at Maine.

Ruiz, who was named to three postseason All-America Teams in 2022 and two preseason All-America Teams in 2023, ranked No. 5 in the nation in sacks per game a year ago and was the CAA leader in that stat. He led UNH in sacks and quarterback hurries, and tied for the team lead in forced fumbles.

Ruiz ranked second on the team in both solo tackles and total tackles, as well as tackles for loss. He recorded multiple tackles all 13 games, including seven with 5+ tackles, and had a sack in 8 of 13 games.

Silver, who was named to four postseason All-America Teams in 2022 and three preseason All-America Teams in 2023, was No. 17 in the national rankings in tackles for loss and 12^th in blocked kicks. On the CAA leaderboard, Silver was sixth in tackles for loss per game and fifth in sacks per game.

Silver led UNH with 17.5 tackles for loss and ranked second in sacks, as well as third in tackles and tied for third in quarterback hurries. He blocked two punts, one of which was returned for a touchdown and the other resulted in a safety. Silver had 10 games with 4+ tackles and recorded at least one tackle for loss in 11 of 13 games.

Corcoran was the top 'Cat in both receptions (56) and receiving yards (670). His other stats included three TDs, 12.0 yards per catch and 55.8 receiving yards per game. Corcoran tied for sixth in the CAA in catches and 12^th in receiving yards.

New Hampshire returns nine starters on both offense and defense from a 9-4 team that advanced to the second round of the FCS playoffs in addition to the aforementioned co-champs of the CAA.

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