A New Era, But Top Returning Talent Ready to Lead Fordham Football

Chase Edmonds (ERIC DEARBORN/COURTESY OF FORDHAM SPORTS)

The Fordham Rams begin their 2016 season against Navy on Saturday afternoon. The Rams are ranked 20th in the preseason FCS College Football Poll. Fordham was ranked 2nd in the Patriot League Preseason Poll. Only Colgate ranked ahead of them.

Fordham will look to improve on last season’s 9-3 record and third straight playoff berth. Led by senior quarterback Kevin Anderson and junior running back Chase Edmonds, the Rams expect another stellar season of great offensive production.

Anderson and Edmonds Still Lead The Offensives Attack

Kevin Anderson and Chase Edmonds were also two of 40 players named to the College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) FCS National Player of the Year Trophy Watch. Only other school to boast two players on the same team is the defending FCS national champions, North Dakota State University.

We all know defense wins championships. Fordham hopes the defense continues to make strides in the right direction. Leading the defensive backfield in 2016 will be returning starters, senior Jihaad Pretlow and junior Caleb Ham.

Prelaw was a First-Team All-Patriot League selection at defensive back last year after starting all 12 games at cornerback. This offseason, he was named a preseason All-Patriot League selection. Newcomers to the defensive backfield in 2016 include freshmen Jeff Ginn Jr, Jesse Bramble and Jordan Burg.

Ginn Jr comes to Fordham from Glenville High School in Cleveland, Ohio, where he was a 2015 First-Team All-Senate League pick while Bramble is a product of Tottenville High School on Staten Island where he earned First-Team All-City honors last fall. Burg starred at the Winward School in Los Angeles the past four years.

The linebacking corp returns three of the four starters from last season. The Rams defense led the Patriot League and ranked tenth in the NCAA FCS in both turnovers gained (29) and fumbles recovered (13). The returning linebackers consist of George Dawson, David Barletta and 2015 All-Patriot League, Niko Thorpe. New additions to the linebacking corp includes Kyle Cook and Freshman Max Roberts. Cook is a transfer from Bryant University.

A New Era At Fordham

Fordham will enter the new season with a new head coach. Andrew Breiner was promoted from offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, positions he held the past four seasons. Coach Breiner replaced former coach Joe Moorhead, who resigned in order to take up an offensive coordinator position at Penn State.

Navy will be a tough week 1 opponent for the Rams. The Navy Midshipmen look like a bowl bound team. The Midshipmen are favored heading into the game and should be able to wear down the Rams. Win or lose, the Andrew Breiner era of Fordham football begins this week.