By Sam Belden
Michael Rezin/The Fordham Ram
On Wednesday, national signing day for college football programs, Fordham Football announced its freshman recruiting class. In total, the Rams added nine new players, all of whom are graduating from high school this spring, to their roster for the 2016 season.
This year, the team’s focus was adding players who demonstrate the qualities of SPEED, an acronym for “Superior Preparation, Effort, Execution, Dominance.” Newly minted head coach Andrew Breiner emphasized this commitment in tweet sent out early this morning.
For the offense, Fordham brought in running back D’Angelo Palladino and offensive linemen Gavin Grewal, Alex Hall and Anthony Solano. On the other side of the ball, the team successfully recruited defensive back Jesse Bramble, linebacker Max Roberts and defensive linemen Johnny Piccinich and Michael Ware. Athlete Jeff Ginn, Jr. rounds out the class of 2016.
Palladino hails from Ironton, Ohio. As a junior in 2014, he rushed for 1,507 yards and 18 touchdowns and was named Division V Offensive Player of the Year in the Southeast District.
Grewal, a lineman from Deerfield, Massachusetts, can bench press 385 pounds. He was a four-year starter and three-year varsity letterman at Deerfield Academy.
Hall, from Louisville, Ohio, is rated as a three-star prospect on the recruitment news website 24/7 Sports. In 2015, he was named Division III First Team All-State and was an Ohio High School Scholar-Athlete.
Solano, a native of Harlem, led Choate Rosemary Hall to back-to-back NEPSAC Championships in the last two years. Last fall, he was named All-New England as an offensive tackle.
Bramble, hailing from Staten Island, won the 2015 Al Fabbri Award as the borough’s top player and was an All-City selection. He will join current Fordham Football sophomore Anthony Coyle as the team’s second alumnus of Tottenville High School.
Roberts, from Delaware, Ohio, led his team to a 6-0 conference record last fall and was a dual threat, catching 11 passes in addition to making 42 tackles.
Piccinich, a native of Harrington Park, New Jersey, led Old Tappan High School to the first undefeated record in program history last fall. As a senior, he was named Second Team All-State and served as team captain.
Ware, from Allison Park, Pennsylvania, was the Allegheny Conference Co-MVP in 2015 and served as team captain. He also scored over 1,000 points for the Shady Side Academy basketball squad and is an honor roll student.
Ginn, a Cleveland native, saw action on both sides of the ball last fall. He caught 25 passes as a wide receiver and recorded 17 tackles on defense. He is the younger cousin of Carolina Panthers wide receiver Ted Ginn, Jr.
Fordham Football has yet to announce its schedule for the 2016 season. The team will likely kick things off in late August or early September, with at least nine new players in tow.
