The Patriot League is more competitive than ever, but Fordham Football should be in a prime position to contend for the league title this season.
The Rams ranked third in the conference’s preseason poll and were one of three teams to receive a first-place vote. Lafayette College and the College of the Holy Cross nabbed first and second in the poll, respectively, after both staking claim in the 2023 Patriot League title as co-regular season champions with identical 5-1 conference records.
Fordham is stacked with plenty of top-notch talent and ample depth on both sides of the ball. The big question will be if they can put it all together in a meaningful way.
The Rams finished the 2023 season with the second-best offense and defense in the Patriot League. However, the season that included a stunning upset win over an FBS opponent, the University of Buffalo, ended as an abject failure. Fordham finished fifth in the league with a 2-4 conference record, dropping three of their last four games to close out the year with a 6-5 overall record that didn’t quite match the eye test.
“That’s been a big emphasis for us all summer,” said senior defensive end Matt Jaworski. “Putting the pieces together and playing a consistent game rather than going through the ups and downs.” Jaworski was named the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year after finishing second in the conference with nine sacks in 2023, leading Fordham in sacks and tackles for loss.
Jaworski was one of eight Rams named to the All-Patriot League Preseason Team. None are more important, however, than the return of quarterback CJ Montes, who is back for his second season after an excellent debut year.
After last summer, when the offense was clouded in uncertainty following the graduation of the program’s all-time passing leader Tim DeMorat, head coach Joe Conlin should be relieved to enter the season with a talented QB who has more than proven himself in the offensive system.
Montes earned Second Team All-Patriot League honors while leading the conference in passing yards and passing touchdowns, throwing 26 TDs with only one interception. His 3000 yards ranked ninth-most in the entire FCS and ninth-most in program history.
While Fordham’s 2022 team featured one of the best offenses in college football, averaging a ridiculous 49.5 points per game, they were severely limited by a defense that allowed 36.2 points per game, one of the worst marks in the FCS.
That changed last season under Allen Gant, who assumed the defensive coordinator role after several seasons as a linebackers coach. Led by Gant, the Rams surrendered 24.7 points per game, the second-best in the Patriot League, while also posting their first shutout against a D1 opponent since 2008 with a 44-0 victory over Stonehill College.
The Rams have the most defensive selections to the preseason All-League team with Jaworski, junior tackle Claudy Robinson, senior linebacker James Conway and graduate student cornerback Nahill Perkins.
Ironically, the biggest addition to their defense wasn’t a player but rather a coach, with Ryan Greenhagen assuming the role of outside linebackers coach for the 2024 season.
Greenhagen graduated in 2022 with 424 tackles, the most in program history, memorably setting an FCS single-game record with 31 tackles against Nebraska University. The former All-American returns to the Bronx, looking to lend his expertise to a talented defensive unit.
A deep receiving core is led by graduate student Garrett Cody, named Second Team All-Patriot League last season, and senior Mekai Felton, backed by a wealth of exciting young receivers. In the backfield, senior Julius Loughridge will lead the charge for a third straight season, while University of Utah transfer Ricky Parks will look to make it a two-headed monster after missing most of last season with an injury.
Their strong-legged kicker Brandon Peskin has transferred to the University of Richmond, but he’ll be replaced by freshman Bennett Henderson, who converted six field goals from 40 yards or deeper in his high school career.
Nothing is guaranteed, particularly in this conference, but Fordham certainly has the talent to win a Patriot League title this season.
“It’s certainly not gonna be easy in-league,” Conlin noted at media day. “I think the league is the most balanced it’s ever been.”
On top of league play, the Rams will also challenge themselves by opening the season against an FBS opponent and playing two CAA opponents in Monmouth University and Stony Brook University.
“It’s certainly challenging. But while it is a challenge, we had a tough schedule in ’22 — we played Monmouth and Stony Brook out of league,” observed Conlin. “It’s never gonna be easy. You don’t necessarily want it to be easy. Going back to my playing days, the tight games were always the most fun games.”
The 2024 Fordham Football season begins on August 29, with the Rams traveling to Ohio to take on Bowling Green State University, their lone FBS opponent of the season, in a Thursday night matchup.
The Rams will try to set the tone as they vie for their first Patriot League title since 2014.
