Tanner Maddocks played behind Connor Watkins for his first three seasons at Villanova, adjusting to the college level and biding his time.
He and Watkins were the only quarterbacks to take snaps last season, so he figured he would succeed him as the starter as long as he kept playing the way he had.
That changed when the Wildcats brought in Nicholls State’s Pat McQuaide from the transfer portal shortly after last season.
“I definitely thought I was going to get the opportunity with Connor graduating,” Maddocks said. “I knew the offense inside and out. When I was put in games, I did my job. I played really well in games. I knew they were bringing somebody in, not necessarily to take the job.”
Maddocks, a former Fleetwood football star, is Villanova’s No. 2 quarterback, for now. McQuaide started the opener against Colgate last week and passed for 299 yards and one touchdown in a 24-17 win.
“Pat’s an awesome guy,” he said. “We are very, very tight. We’re extremely close off the field. We knew there would be a competition. The coaching staff decided that he would be the better fit. I’m not really in a position to question their call.”
The 6-1, 200-pound Maddocks most likely will get on the field when the Wildcats take on Penn State (2-0) Saturday at 3:30 (TV-FS1) at Beaver Stadium.
He’s the regular punt returner for Villanova, which might not be surprising for those who saw him play in high school. He played wide receiver at Fleetwood until he moved to quarterback his final two seasons and kicked 17 PATs as a senior.
“I brought it to the coaches’ attention,” Maddocks said. “At first they weren’t getting it. ‘If you and Connor get hurt, we’ll be down to our third-team quarterback.’ It was always a concern.
“I have really good hands. I have a lot of confidence. I don’t care about contact. You can’t overthink things.”
Last year, Maddocks returned 10 punts for 97 yards, rushed for two touchdowns, completed 8-of-14 passes for 112 yards and helped Villanova finish 10-4 and reach the second round of the NCAA FCS playoffs.
He and his wife, the former Elyse Schwenig, also learned they were going to become parents. Maia Maddocks was born in March, shortly before spring practice began.
With limited sleep because of his new daughter’s arrival, he struggled a bit.
“It definitely affected me the way I was on the field,” he said. “It was nothing more than accuracy. It was something that was already fixed going into (preseason) camp. At the end of the day, Pat outperformed me in spring practice. It was very, very close.”
Maddocks, who graduated from Oley Valley High School, and Villanova linebacker JR Strauss (Exeter) will be among six former Berks County standouts in uniform Saturday at Penn State. The others are Penn State running back Nick Singleton (Gov. Mifflin), tight end Joey Schlaffer (Exeter) and offensive linemen J’ven Williams and Caleb Brewer, both from Wyomissing.
Maddocks, Strauss and Singleton all graduated from high school in 2022.
“It’s a homecoming in a way,” Maddocks said. “We all had different recruiting journeys. You have Nick Singleton, who was the guy. You have me, the first Division I player from Fleetwood.
“It’s pretty cool that we all played high school football in Berks County at the same time.”
Maddocks passed for 3,406 yards and 35 touchdowns in his final two seasons for coach Steve Beatty at Fleetwood and was named to the All-Berks team as a defensive back as a senior.
He committed to Villanova one day after receiving a scholarship offer, rebuffing interest from Stony Brook, Lehigh, Fordham, Towson and Central Connecticut State.
Maddocks made an immediate connection with head coach Mark Ferrante and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Chris Boden. He doesn’t regret his decision at all.
“I’m absolutely happy here,” he said. “It’s really about those two guys. It’s the amount of care and respect they show their players. It’s the way they treat us.”
