Football Opens 2017 Spring Practice Season

2017 Spring Practice Schedule
 
Bronx, N.Y. – A week after a storm dumped about six inches of snow on the Bronx, the Fordham football Rams were on Murphy Field for their first practice of the 2017 spring season on a rather spring-like day.
 
Head coach Andrew Breiner welcomed his players back, a group that includes 14 returning starters, eight on offense and six on defense, as the Rams look to continue their winning ways over the past four years where Fordham is 40-11, the sixth most wins of any NCAA FCS program over that span, including 29-2 on Jack Coffey Field since 2012.
 
Leading the returning starters is senior running back Chase Edmonds, a 2016 consensus first team All-American. Last year, Edmonds, who finished fourth in voting for the 2016 Walter Payton Award, led the NCAA FCS in rushing yards per game (163.5) and was second in total rushing yards as well as ranking second in all-purpose yards per game (194.6) and third in rushing touchdowns. The 1,799 yards was just 39 yards shy of Edmonds' school single season record set in 2014.
 
Over his three-year career, Edmonds has rushed for a school record 5,285 yards, just 336 yards shy of Jordan Scott's Patriot League career record of 5,621 yards. He has 62 career rushing touchdowns and 69 overall career touchdowns, both school and Patriot League records.
 

Also back in the offensive backfield is senior quarterback Kevin Anderson, who completed 201 of 325 passes for 2,724 yards and 27 touchdowns as well as running for 255 net yards and two scores. He led the Patriot League and was tenth in the NCAA FCS in passing touchdowns and led the League and was 12th in the nation in passing yards/game (272.4). Anderson, a second team All-Patriot League pick last year, also led the conference and was 21st in the NCAA FCS in total passing yards and led the league and was seventh in the country in points responsible/game (17.6).
 
Over his Fordham career, Anderson, a two-year starter, has completed 430 of 667 passes for 5,907 yards and 59 touchdowns. He ranks fifth on the Fordham career passing yards list and third on the career passing touchdown list while his career completion percentage of 64.5 percent is fourth best. 
 
Anderson will have plenty of familiar faces to throw to as the Rams return three of the top four receivers from 2016, led by junior Austin Longi, a second team All-Patriot League selection in 2016 who hauled in 59 passes for 774 yards, both team-highs, and six scores. He was fifth in the Patriot League in receiving yards/game (70.4), receiving touchdowns and receptions/game (5.3).
 
Joining Longi at wide out is junior Corey Caddle, who caught 32 passes for 368 yards (11.5 yards/reception) and four touchdowns last fall, while junior tight end Isaiah Searight, who earned second team All-Patriot League honors last year, also returns after catching 13 passes for 181 yards and two scores.
 
The Fordham offensive line lost two starters to graduation but returns junior first team All-Patriot League tackle Anthony Coyle along with senior Ben Hartman, a two-year starter at center who earned second team All-League accolades last year, and senior guard Garrett Donaldson.
 
As a unit, the Fordham offense led the Patriot League and ranked fourth in the NCAA FCS in total offense, averaging 498.2 yards/game, and led the league and ranked 12th in the NCAA FCS in rushing offense, averaging 229.7 yards/game. The Rams also led the Patriot League and were fourth in the nation in scoring, averaging 40.1 points per game.
 
On the defensive side of the ball the Rams return two starters on the line in senior tackle Nick Angeli, who notched 17 tackles in 2016, and senior end Ty Green, who made 26 stops last year including four for loss, along with senior Manny Adeyeye, who made 16 tackles, including 3.0 sacks last fall. Senior Jonathan Dimon, juniors JM Nocket and Erik Rottsolk and sophomore Michael Ware also add experience to the defensive line.
 

The Rams' biggest losses to graduation occurred at the linebacker position where George Dawson, a second team All-Patriot League player last fall, and David Barletta are gone. But senior Niko Thorpe, who was limited to five games in 2016 by injury, and junior Noah Fitzgerald, who started at one of the outside linebacker spots last year, are both back while junior Jarod Vyent and sophomore Max Roberts bring plenty of experience to the linebacking corps.  Roberts made 45 tackles last year, including 9.5 for loss and 4.5 sacks, while also recording nine quarterback hurries and forcing three fumbles, while Fitzgerald finished the year with 33 stops, including 3.5 for loss, broke up four passes and recovered four fumbles.
 
Fordham returns three of the four starters in the defensive backfield, led by senior Caleb Ham, a first team All-Patriot League selection, who was second on the team last year with 62 total tackles, and tied for the team lead with three interceptions. He is joined by junior safety Antonio Jackson, who was third on the team last fall with 56 total tackles while also intercepting two passes, and junior cornerback Dylan Maybin, who made 42 tackles last year. Junior Lawrence Menyah, who finished with 37 tackles in 2016, and juniors Tyler Long and James Biggs-Frazier, along with sophomore Jesse Bramble also bring experience to the defensive backfield.
 
On special teams, senior placekicker Alejandro Cardenas returns along with junior Kyle Facibene.

The Rams are scheduled to open their 118th season of varsity football on Friday, September 1, as they travel to West Point, N.Y., to face the Army West Point Black Knights. Fordham is entering its 28th season as a member of the NCAA FCS Patriot League.