Villanova Football Roster Preview: ‘Cats Backfield Remains Potent

This is one in a series of stories breaking down Villanova Football’s roster ahead of the 2026 season.

Villanova Football returns one of the top playmakers in the country in junior running back Ja’briel Mace, a 5-foot-9, 175 pound spark plug who earned All-American honors both at his position and as a kick returner in 2025. Mace burst on the scene as a speedy change-of-pace back, amassing 946 yards and a touchdown on 128 carries (7.39 yards per carry) last season. He added two more touchdowns apiece through the air and via kick returns.

The Wildcats also retained power back Isaiah Ragland (5-foot-9, 205 pounds), a bowling ball of a runner who put up 754 yards on 168 carries. While he largely got the ball in short-yardage scenarios, Ragland also ran all over the Harvard Crimson in the first round of the FCS playoffs.

Other options for Villanova include redshirt freshman Tyler Womack (5-foot-10, 190 pounds), who according to the team roster has the strength to run inside and the speed to bounce toward the sideline. Fifth year Julian Glantz (6-foot-1, 220 pounds) will likely slot in on special teams, where he made nine tackles and forced a fumble last season; he could also get the occasional snap as a goal-line hammer.

After that, the Wildcats have a trio of freshmen who could vie for snaps: Jonah Glenn (5-foot-11, 190 pounds) recorded 1,092 yards and 14 touchdowns across 139 carries as a senior, while Brandon Way Jr. (5-foot-9, 190 pounds) is a legitimate workhorse who carried the ball 217 times during his junior season, averaging 8.6 yards per tote. Way found the endzone 28 times and ran a reported 4.5 second 40-yard dash. 6-foot-1, 185 pound freshman Brian Falk rounds out the group.