football
Rams open second week of spring ball
BRONX, N.Y. – It was a little colder today than when they started their spring practice schedule last week, but the 2024 Fordham Football Rams took to Murphy Field for their fourth session of the spring.
The Rams return eight starters on both sides.The offense is led by a senior running back. Julius Loughridgewas named first-team All-Patriot League last fall and rushed for 1,146 yards and 10 touchdowns, becoming the 11th player in Fordham history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season.
Lulridge joins the offense as a junior quarterback. CJ Montez, 2023 Walter Payton Award finalist and All-Patriot League second-team pick. He completed 241 of 376 passes for 3,000 yards, 26 touchdowns and only one interception, leading the league in passing touchdowns and ranking seventh in NCAA FCS.
Montez will be led by three of his top four wide receivers in 2024 as seniors. garrett cody and Mekai Felton. Cody, a second-team All-Patriot, caught 54 passes for 856 yards and seven touchdowns, while Felton caught 48 passes for 513 yards and a team-high eight scores.
Three of five offensive starters return: Seniors. ryan joyceLast fall, he started all games as a right fielder. David Ebomenyastarted all 11 games at left tackle. cody johnsonHe will be a starter at center in 2023.
Defensive side of the ball, senior linebacker james conway He will return to become Fordham's all-time tackle leader. A 2023 All-Patriot League first-team selection, he had a team-high 129 tackles and 55 solo last fall, ranking second in the Patriot League in tackles per game (11.7). Ranked 5th in NCAA FCS. His 129 stops brought his career total to 386 tackles, 40 shy of Ryan Greenhagen's career record of 426 and third on Fordham's career list.
senior defensive back Nahil Perkins and senior defensive lineman matt jaworskiTwo players who earned First Team All-Patriot honors in 2023 also return. Perkins totaled 62 total tackles, 37 solos, 16 pass breakups, and three interceptions, all of which were team-highs. Jaworski finished 2023 with 44 total tackles and 27 solo tackles, leading the team with 13.5 tackles for a loss and 86 yards.
junior defensive lineman claudie robinsonHe returns as the anchor of the defensive line alongside Jaworski, who was named a second-team All-Patriot. He totaled 24 tackles last year, including five solo tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks.
The Rams open the 2024 season on Thursday, August 29th with a trip to Ohio to take on the FBS Bowling Green State University Falcons.
