On Aug. 2, Katie LeGrand, Villanova’s senior associate athletic director for compliance, penned a letter to the Patriot League Policy Committee, urging the conference to grant quarterback Pat McQuaide eligibility for the upcoming season.
LeGrand wrote that “Pat has fought hard to stay positive throughout his collegiate experience. He is the epitome of the word resilience, something that many youth may lack in today’s society.”
McQuaide’s resilience would continue to be tested over the coming weeks, as the Patriot League maintained that McQuaide would not be eligible.
Still, there was a chance McQuaide, who continued to practice with the team, could suit up for Villanova’s opener against league rival William & Mary. That chance became a reality hours before kickoff on Friday.
On Friday, Cuyahoga County (Ohio) Common Pleas Court judge Timothy P. McCormick granted an emergency preliminary injunction that named the Patriot League as a defendant, clearing McQuaide to be eligible for league contests. Despite the quick turnaround, Wildcats coach Mark Ferrante opted to start McQuaide against the visiting Tribe.
“Yeah, we found out [Friday],” Ferrante said. “And once we found out, there really was no hesitation. I mean, if it was 6 o’clock and a 6:03 kickoff, he probably would have rolled out there. If it was two hours before, if it was yesterday, [McQuaide would start]. The plan was, get the other guys reps. But if it happens, we’ll roll Pat out there. And he’s had a lot of practice under his belt.”
Villanova lost, 35-32, to William & Mary after squandering a 10-point lead in the game’s final minute. McQuaide passed for 270 yards and a touchdown but threw three interceptions, including a pick with 9 seconds remaining that set up the Tribe’s game-winning field goal.
“We made a lot more mistakes than they did,” Ferrante said. “Turnovers, penalties. Never comes down to one play, but unfortunately, it came down to one play.”
Although he struggled, McQuaide’s return was welcomed by his teammates. Last season, after being named the starter days before the season opener, McQuaide emerged as a team leader. During his first year on the Main Line, the Ohio native led Villanova to an FCS semifinal — the team’s best finish since 2010. If McQuaide had not been able to play Friday, senior Robert Russo or freshman Nolan DiLucia was expected to receive the starting nod. Neither has completed a pass in college.
“It’s kind of just second nature, having a guy like Pat back in the locker room,” junior running back Ja’briel Mace said. “Especially back in the offense, really helpful. … Finally get back to the flow of things.”
For the foreseeable future, McQuaide is expected to stay on the field for Villanova. It remains to be seen if the Patriot League will appeal Friday’s preliminary injunction or if the conference will take additional steps to bar his participation.
The league previously denied McQuaide’s eligibility on Aug. 4, despite a preliminary injunction by McCormick, and then rejected Villanova’s appeal on Aug. 22. The NCAA supported the conference’s barring of McQuaide, contending that as the Patriot League was not “served process and is not a defendant” in the original lawsuit, the initial preliminary injunction could not be applied to the conference.
Patriot League commissioner Jennifer Heppel, the liaison for the Patriot League Council of Presidents executive committee that denied the appeal on Aug. 22, attended Friday’s game.
The question around McQuaide’s eligibility pertains to his season at Mississippi Gulf Coast in 2022. Villanova, which submitted the waiver request to the NCAA on behalf of McQuaide, argued that the COVID-19 pandemic led to McQuaide’s single season at the junior college. McQuaide contends the pandemic stunted his development in high school, which led to him walking on at Kent State. After one year redshirting with the Golden Flashes, he transferred to Mississippi Gulf Coast.
In its original eligibility waiver, the school described the move as a “necessary bridge rather than a choice to ‘use’ an additional season.” Additionally, juco programs are not under the purview of the NCAA, but seasons spent at that level have counted toward student-athletes’ eligibility in past decisions.
After one season at Mississippi Gulf Coast, McQuaide played two seasons at Nicholls State before transferring to Villanova.
This year will mark McQuaide’s sixth in college. He earned his undergraduate degree from Nicholls State and a master’s in higher education and leadership from Villanova. In court documents, McQuaide contended that he is aiming to complete a certification in public administration at Villanova this year, with the goal of becoming an NFL general manager.
The battle between Villanova and the Patriot League over McQuaide’s eligibility comes during the program’s first year in the conference. The Wildcats announced last summer that they would leave their football conference of 18 seasons, the Coastal Athletic Association, to join the Patriot League. Unlike the Patriot League, the CAA supported McQuaide’s eligibility for this season, according to McQuaide’s attorney, Richard Hamilton Jr.
“[McQuaide] had a letter of support from the conference, the old CAA,” Hamilton said. “He had a letter of support from the president of the university and from the athletic department, all supporting the waivers.”
