Villanova Petitioning NCAA to Bring Quarterback Pat McQuaide Back

Villanova Football will attempt to bring quarterback Pat McQuaide back for a final season, per a report from David Szczepanski of WXVU, the Wildcats’ student radio station: Szczepanski interviewed Villanova head coach Mark Ferrante at the team’s spring practice session on Thursday, April 8, which is where Ferrante broke the news. The Wildcats are petitioning the NCAA in pursuit of an eligibility waiver.

McQuaide began his college career with Kent State, redshirting in 2021. He then transferred down to the junior college level, playing a season at Mississippi Gulf Coast before returning to Division I for two seasons with Nicholls State. McQuaide spent the 2025 season at Villanova, leading the Wildcats to the national semifinals as a graduate transfer.

Recent NCAA rule changes afford extra eligibility to players from lower tiers of college athletics like JUCO and Divisions II and III: even those with multiple college seasons under their belt have received clean slates for D-I eligibility. As such, the Wildcats’ petition to the NCAA has an excellent chance of succeeding… and retaining a veteran quarterback will give them a similarly strong chance of repeating last season’s performance.

Per Szczepanski’s interview with Ferrante, incoming freshman Nolan DiLucia — already on campus as an early enrollee — and rising senior Robert Russo are the favorites to back up McQuaide… or take the helm if the waiver request fails.