In front of 109,516 fans on Sept. 13, the Wildcats were scoreless at Beaver Stadium, home of Penn State. With only a few seconds on the clock and Villanova down by 52, junior quarterback Tanner Maddocks threw a short pass to the back of the end zone. On fourth down, Villanova had one final attempt to get points on the board before the game ended.
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Brandon Binkowski leapt in the back of the endzone and reached for the ball. Binkowski’s one-handed touchdown ended Villanova’s possibility of getting shutout with a final score of 52-6.
“It was definitely a cool moment for me in a historic stadium,” Binkowski said. “At the end of the day, it didn’t really matter much to me, because we lost the game, so that’s all I really care about.”
The monumental catch has since received attention from ESPN’s SportsCenter and was named the College Play of the Day. It was Binkowski’s first collegiate touchdown, and Maddocks’ first passing touchdown.
A TD worthy of the #SCTop10 NUMBER ONE SPOT
@SportsCenter @espn #TapTheRock pic.twitter.com/uEaJwdnNoM
— Villanova Football (@NovaFootball) September 14, 2025
“It’s just something that they’ll remember and cherish, but talking with [Binkowski] or talking with Tanner, they would trade that play in for a win, for sure,” Villanova head coach Mark Ferrante said.
Binkowski has only started in two games for Villanova. After redshirting last season, he is now looking to increase his playing time and earn a spot on the starting lineup.
“I’m sure that will help his confidence, to make a play like that, against a team like that, in an environment like that, will only help him moving forward,” Ferrante said. “The main goal is to take from the game what we can learn from some of the positive things that did happen along with that catch. It proved to us that [Binkowski] is not afraid to step up in big moments.”
Binkowski, who attended Battlefield High School in Haymarket, VA, is not the only collegiate athlete in his family. His older brother, Matt, was a linebacker at James Madison University and Southern Utah. His younger brother, Cameron, plays at Army as a defensive lineman. The youngest Binkowski, Mia, recently committed to play soccer at Tennessee.
“We all kind of played since we were very little, like ankle biters, and all the way up from elementary school, all the way through college,” Binkowski said. “I would say I wanted to play college when my brother started getting recruited. Then he played football in college, so that kind of made me want to follow him.”
In high school, Binkowski earned first team All-State honors as a linebacker, first team All-Region and was named team captain his senior year. In 2023, Binkowski made 50 catches for 900 yards and 13 touchdowns. Along with six sacks and two interceptions, Binkowski put his versatility on display, which he brings to the Villanova roster on offense as a wide receiver.
Binkowski went on several visits to Villanova before committing to the team. According to Binkowski, the dedicated coaching staff and strong team connection solidified his decision to become a Wildcat. Binkowski’s win-or-nothing attitude has made him determined to continue improving during the 2025 season. It is a mindset that Ferrante aims to foster across the team.
“We just have to continue to get better each and every day, which hopefully will take us and get better each and every game,” Ferrante said. “We got to just work on all the fundamental things that you know make you a good team, and we have to be able to do those things consistently.”
The Wildcats will stay on the road this Saturday, Sept. 20, in their first conference game of the season. Villanova is scheduled to play CAA opponent No. 18 Monmouth University in West Long Branch, NJ, at 3:30 p.m.
