JR Strauss was restless for most of August and sleepless for the week leading up to Villanova’s football opener against Colgate.
He knew the opportunity to make his first start for the Wildcats was drawing near. He couldn’t contain his anticipation.
Strauss, a former Exeter standout, made a team-high eight tackles from his inside linebacker spot in Villanova’s 24-17 victory over Colgate last Saturday at home.
“It was an awesome feeling,” Strauss said. “It was a surreal moment for me. It’s been a very long time (since he started a game). My adrenaline was really pumping. I was thinking about that game for probably a month.
“The energy was high. Everyone was hyped. I was just really excited to get out there.”
Strauss and the Wildcats will play before a much larger crowd when they travel to face Penn State (2-0) Saturday at 3:30 (TV-FS1) at Beaver Stadium.
It’s a matchup between two ranked teams. The Nittany Lions are second in The Associated Press poll; Villanova is 11th in the FCS coaches poll.
They’re meeting for the first time since 2021 when Penn State defeated the Wildcats 38-17. Strauss was a high school senior that fall, helping Exeter win the District 3 Class 5A championship and reach the PIAA semifinals.
He attended games at Beaver Stadium several times while growing up.
“Yeah, it means a lot to me,” he said. “I’ve been to four or five games up there. Going to those games made me want to play college football. I think it will be a cool experience to play in that stadium.
“I’m really locked in. I really want to get the job done.”
The 6-3, 230-pound Strauss will be one of six Berks County products in uniform Saturday. Former Fleetwood quarterback Tanner Maddocks is a classmate at Villanova. Four Berks grads are at Penn State: running back Nick Singleton of Gov. Mifflin, offensive linemen J’ven Williams and Caleb Brewer of Wyomissing and tight end Joey Schlaffer, who also played at Exeter for coach Matt Bauer.
“It just goes to show the competitiveness of our county,” Strauss said. “It’ll be cool to see all of those guys. I’ve worked out, lifted and grew up with a lot of them. It’ll be really cool to see them and to be able to play against them.”
Strauss’ path to his starting job has been bumpy. He has overcome multiple hamstring injuries, playing in every game last season when Villanova reached the second round of the NCAA FCS playoffs. He earned his place in the lineup by not allowing frustration to get the best of him.
“The past three years felt pretty long,” he said. “We have a saying here called, ‘Tap The Rock.’ Keep pushing every single day. Just put your head down and keep pushing.
“It’s been a long journey. I’m just really happy about the way it’s going now. We have a whole season ahead of us.”
Strauss chose Villanova over Navy and Princeton because he made a connection with head coach Mark Ferrante and his staff. He’s on track to earn his bachelor’s degree in statistics with a minor in computer science. He hopes to play next season and pursue a master’s degree.
“I felt like I was at home as soon as I stepped on campus,” he said. “The other schools were OK, but something in my gut was telling me to come here. There’s a good balance between football, academics and social life, which I really like.
“It’s been a very good experience. It’s been a blessing to come here.”
Strauss estimated that as many as 20 family members and friends are planning to make the drive to State College to see him play.
“It’ll be really cool,” he said. “I just want to go out there and play for them. I’m sure there’s a lot of talk in Exeter about this game. I expect to have a lot of the Exeter crowd there, which also would be cool.”
