Villanova Football Roster Preview: Young Specialists Have Something to Prove

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

Villanova Football enters the 2026 season with just one thread of continuity among their specialists, junior long snapper Thomas Colello. The lynchpin of a solid unit last season, the 5-foot-11, 205 pound Colello provides valuable experience on a team full of young specialists.

The Wildcats have two options at punter, both freshmen: Michael Venezia (6-foot-0, 175 pounds) and Ryan Reavy (6-foot-2, 205 pounds), who’s also listed at placekicker. Reavy earned a four-star rating in high school for his leg strength, touch and accuracy, making him a likely pick to lock down the No. 1 spot on the punt team.

Many punters also double as their team’s kickoff specialist, keeping valuable placekickers away from high speed collisions, so either Venezia or Reavy could step up to fill that role.

Villanova has plenty of question marks at placekicker too. They brought in sophomore transfer Dominic LeBlanc (6-foot-0, 170 pounds) from Tennessee Tech. Leblanc managed to lock down the No. 1 spot at an FCS school last season, converting on 13 of 19 field goals and 29 of 31 extra points, but his career long of 46 yards gives him a much shorter range than your typical modern kicker.

Fellow sophomore Luke Myers (5-foot-10, 195 pounds) will compete with LeBlanc — and, perhaps, Reavy — for a starting role. The Wildcats’ roster lists his field goal range at 50 yards… But there’s a stark difference between practice field range and in-game accuracy.