Villanova Univeristy Athletics

Josh Fletcher is in his eighth year at Villanova and has earned two promotions during his tenure to his current role as the Special Teams Coordinator and running backs coach. The 2026 campaign will be his fifth working with the Wildcats running backs and his second in charge of the special teams unit. In addition to his coaching responsibilities, Fletcher recruits areas of New York including sections 1, 2, 7, 9 and 10.
 
Villanova won 11 straight games and advanced to the semifinal round of the FCS playoffs in 2025 in no small part because of the play of the special teams and running backs groups. Fletcher was instrumental in helping Ja’briel Mace develop into one of the most explosive players in the country in both roles on the way to being named a first team All-American and the CAA Football Special Teams Player of the Year. Mace ranked second in the country with an average of 31.4 yards per kickoff return and was one of only five FCS players to have two kickoff return touchdowns. He became the Wildcats first player since 1968 to average more than 30.0 yards per kickoff return, while his 735 total kickoff return yards are the sixth most in a single season in school history.
 
Mace also rushed for team highs of 946 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2025 while leading an offense that ranked second in CAA Football with an average of 175.4 rushing yards per game. The trio of Mace, Isaiah Ragland (755) and David Avit (687) combined for 2,388 yards and 21 touchdowns while accumulating seven games with over 100 rushing yards. Mace broke Brian Westbrook’s single-game school rushing record in a 28-10 win over Towson when he ran for 291 yards and all four of Villanova’s touchdowns. He topped the 100-yard mark in the fourth quarter alone in that game and later had a 151-yard rushing performance at Tarleton State in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs.
 
Another one of last year’s success stories was freshman Braden Reed who already ranks 13^th in school history in career punt return yards after just one season of college football. Reed posted the third-highest single season total of punt return yards – 298 – in school history and averaged 14.9 yards per return, the most by a Villanova player in 24 years. He was a CAA Football third team selection and garnered Stats Perform Freshman All-America accolades.
 
During the 2024 season, Fletcher helped Avit become the CAA Football Offensive Rookie of the Year. He ranked third nationally among FCS freshmen with 923 rushing yards and had a team-high 1,098 all-purpose yards on the year. In 2023, the Wildcats ranked 10^th in the country with an average of 214.5 rushing yards per game and scored at least two rushing touchdowns in nine of 13 contests. Leading running back Jalen Jackson was a second team CAA Football All-Conference selection after amassing 981 yards and nine touchdowns on the year. He ranked third in the country with an average of 7.43 yards per carry and soared to sixth place in school history with 2,548 career rushing yards.
 
The trio of Jackson, DeeWil Barlee and TD Ayo-Durojaiye combined for 2,104 yards and 23 touchdowns during the 2023 season. All three players wound up their careers in the top 20 in school history in rushing yards. Barlee ranked eighth in the record book with 2,308 yards and Ayo-Durojaiye was 20^th with 1,605 yards. The troika combined for 56 rushing touchdowns during their careers.
 
Fletcher originally came to the Main Line to serve as an offensive assistant, and he worked with the team’s tight ends from the 2019-21 seasons. During that time, he coached one of the key contributors to the Villanova offense in tight end Todd Summers whose collegiate career culminated with being named a second team CAA Football All-Conference selection for the 2021 season. Summers ended his collegiate career with 76 career receptions for 901 yards and 12 touchdowns while averaging 11.9 yards per catch. He played in all 13 games as a sixth-year player in 2021, amassing 288 receiving yards and three touchdowns for a Wildcats team which won a CAA title and advanced to the quarterfinal round of the FCS playoffs. 
 
Before he came to the Wildcats, Fletcher spent the 2018 season at Missouri State where he was a special teams and quality control coach. He worked with the kickers and punters for a team that led the Missouri Valley Conference and ranked in the top five in the FCS in net punting and punt return defense. During his time with the Bears, Fletcher was responsible for all special teams scout meetings and scout cards in addition to working with the scout teams during practices. 

He previously was a defensive assistant at Valdosta State in 2017 and an offensive assistant at Towson for the 2016 season. Fletcher worked with the special teams units during each of those stops and he assisted with coaching the linebackers at Valdosta State when the team ended the 2017 campaign ranked in the top 10 in Division II in fewest first downs allowed and fewest touchdowns allowed. Fletcher also assisted the special teams coordinator with game planning and was charged with breaking down video of opposing offenses and special teams. 

Fletcher was in charge of defensive scout team meetings at Towson in 2016 and on game days was responsible for charting opposing defenses in addition to assisting with clock management. Towson led the FCS in kickoff returns, ranked 18th nationally in kickoff return defense and was fourth in net punting for the 2016 season. Fletcher additionally recruited areas of Georgia, Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania during his year on the Tigers staff. 

During the 2014 and 2015 seasons Fletcher was the running backs and tight ends coach at ASA College New York where current Villanova offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Chris Boden was on the staff. Boden was the ASA College offensive coordinator in 2014 and the head coach in 2015. Fletcher assisted with designing the Avengers offensive playbook, formulated weekly game plans and assisted with play calling for the offense. He was also in charge of travel accommodations, film exchange and assisting with student-athlete eligibility. 

Fletcher graduated from McDaniel College in 2014 with a degree in Exercise Science and a minor in Sports Coaching. He began his coaching career as an undergraduate assistant linebackers coach for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. He assisted with on-campus recruiting as well as running offensive scout team meetings and practices.