HERO Sports welcomes you to "Two-a-Days", where we will preview every single one of the 125 FCS programs, with two being released each day from June 18 to August 18 (with the final day having three in one day). Today we give you … Fordham.
[divider]MORE: Compare Any Two FCS Players or Any Two FCS Teams[divider]
FCS TEAM BY TEAM PREVIEW: The countdown
FCS PRESEASON TOP 25: The poll
FCS PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA: The teams
Fordham (4-7 IN 2017)
Patriot League (Fordham was T-3rd in 2017)
COACH: Joe Conlin – 1st Year (0-0)
2017 OFFENSE: 21.7 ppg. (73rd in FCS)
2017 DEFENSE: 34.9 ppg. (110th in FCS)
SUM IT UP: Fordham's post-Breiner rebuild will start earlier than perhaps anticipated, as Fordham's most recent head coach left the Big Apple for Mississippi State in December. Taking the reigns is Joe Conlin, a first-time head coach who most recently worked as the offensive coordinator at Yale. The Rams have the pieces to stay competitive and win some games, but they'll need to replace an NFL runningback, fill the quarterback vacuum and navigate a brutal schedule. Improving on last year's 4-7 record will be tough.
BEST-CASE SCENARIO: The Rams eek out a 6-5 record. With an FBS school, the NEC champions and two CAA schools, this is not exactly a friendly schedule for a first-time head coach. Fordham is likely to struggle at times this season, but there are a few games on the schedule that should be winnable. The final game of September, against Central Connecticut State, starts a five-game stretch where Fordham could hypothetically go 5-0. Even if the team goes 3-2, Fordham could hypothetically put together three wins throughout the other half of their schedule. It could all come down to the season finale at Bucknell — a team the Rams beat 20-9 in 2017.
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BEST FCS PLAYER BY NUMBER: We count down, No. 99 through No. 1[divider]
TOP RETURNEE: WR Austin Longi (First-Team All-Patriot, 16 career TDs).
THE NEXT FIVE: LB Glenn Cunningham (led team in Tackles and TFLs); DB Dylan Mabin (First-Team All-Patriot, Ranked 2nd in FCS Football with 19 Passes Defended); DB Antonio Jackson (Second-Team All-Patriot, 22 starts & 119 tackles over last two seasons); TE Isaiah Searight (Second-Team All-Patriot, 2 TDs); OL Dominic Lombard (11 starts in 2017).
TOP NEWCOMER: RB Naim Mayfield (New Jersey high school scoring leader in 2017).
DID YOU KNOW?: Fordham's NYC location means the college has one of the most heavily featured campuses in American academia. Fordham's campus was used as a setting in The Adjustment Bureau, A Beautiful Mind, The Exorcist and several other prominent films and TV shows.
THE QUOTE: "After an extensive search, we are excited to welcome Joe Conlin to Fordham. We believe he is one of the top young coaches in the country who truly cares about the welfare of the student-athlete which makes him a perfect fit for Fordham. We look forward to Joe translating the great success he had at Yale where he led the Bulldogs to the 2017 Ivy League title, to Rose Hill. It's an exciting day for Fordham and I look forward to working with Coach Conlin as he takes over the helm of our program." -Fordham Athletic Director Dave Roach, after hiring Conlin in December.
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SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHT
THE HASHTAG: #RAMSNAT19N
FOOTBALL TWITTER: @FORDHAMFOOTBALL
Not one, not two, but three times. (via @ChaseEdmonds22) pic.twitter.com/5gCCmRzduc
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 28, 2018
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