Ruiz and Silver Selected to CAA Football Preseason All-Conference Team

RICHMOND, Va. – Senior defensive ends Dylan Ruiz (Orlando, Fla.) and Josiah Silver (Hampton, Va.) of the University of New Hampshire football team were named to the Coastal Athletic Association Football Preseason All-Conference Team on Wednesday as part of Day 1 of the conference's two-day Media Day.

Both Ruiz and Silver are repeat selections from last year's preseason team and both were CAA Football Second Team Defense honorees last November.

Grad student wide receiver Logan Tomlinson (Manchester, Conn.) and senior linebacker Ryan Toscano (Bedford, N.H.) received Honorable Mention and the UNH Wildcats were picked seventh in the predicted order of finish in the 16-team CAA. Silver, Tomlinson and Toscano are three of this year's five captains.

UNH kicks off the 2024 season Aug. 29 (7 p.m.) at UCF and the Wildcats play the first of five home games Sept. 14 (6 p.m.) against Stonehill College.

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Ruiz, 6-foot-1 and 256 pounds, started all 11 games last season with 19 solo tackles and 16 assisted tackles for a total of 35, all of which ranked second among UNH defensive linemen. He ranked second on the team in both tackles for loss (eight) and sacks (four). Ruiz was also credited with a pair of quarterback hurries.

He had a breakout season in 2022 with a No. 5 national rank in sacks per game that topped the CAA in that stat. He garnered All-America team, All-New England and CAA All-Conference First Team accolades that year.

Silver, 6-2 and 243 pounds, started every game in the 2023 season and finished with 23 solo stops and 20 assisted tackles for a total of 43. He led all UNH defensive linemen in those three stats and ranked fourth on the team in total tackles. Silver led all Wildcats in both tackles for loss (9.5) and sacks (five), as well as quarterback hurries (eight). He was also credited with a blocked kick.

Silver was the CAA Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2021 and garnered All-America recognition in both 2021 and 2022.

Villanova University topped the 2024 CAA Football predicted order of finish with 217 points, including nine first-place votes. The University of Richmond (189; one), UAlbany (179; three), College of William & Mary (175), University of Delaware (163; three) and Elon University (157) also placed ahead of UNH (150).

The University of Rhode Island (142), Towson University (114) and Monmouth University (95) round out the top 10 and are followed by Campbell University (83), Hampton University (62), University of Maine (57), North Carolina A&T (49), Bryant University (46) and Stony Brook University (42).

CAA Football expands to 16 members in 2024 with the addition of Bryant University and looks to continue its tradition of success. Four teams received berths in the FCS playoffs in 2023, which was tied for the second-most of any conference. The CAA has had at least one team reach the quarterfinals every year since 1995 and has had at least one semifinalist 10 times over the past 11 years, with seven different schools advancing to the final four. Twelve of the CAA's 16 members have participated in the FCS playoffs since 2015, a feat unmatched by any other conference.

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