Bronx, N.Y. – With the season opener at Army a just over a week away, it's time to start wrapping up our position-by-position breakdown of the 2015 Rams by closing out things on the defensive side of the ball with a look at the defensive backs.
The defensive backfield was hit hard by graduation, losing all four starters from 2014, including All-Patriot League selections
Ian Williams,
Jordan Chapman and
Jake Dixon.
The good news is that the Rams do return four players who saw playing time in the defensive backfield last fall, led by senior
JQ Bowers, who appeared in all 14 games in 2014, starting four, where he totaled 43 tackles, 32 solo, including one for loss and tied for fourth on team with five pass breakups.
Also back is graduate student
Lourenzo Smith, who saw action in 13 games in the defensive backfield and on special teams as a senior for the Rams, recording 22 total tackles, 15 solo, including one for loss. He is joined by junior
Marcus Fulmore, who played in 12 games as a sophomore and made 17 total tackles, 12 solo, while also breaking up three passes; and sophomores
Caleb Ham, who appeared in eleven games as a freshman and made eight tackles, and
Marcus Hicks, who missed his freshman campaign with an injury.
Junior
Jihaad Pretlow, a transfer from Temple, also gives the Rams experience in the backfield, He appeared in eleven games for the Owls in 2014, starting nine, at strong safety, and finished the year with 32 total tackles, 23 solo, including one for loss.
Other returning players looking for time in the backfield include senior
Steven Samela, junior
Roddy Roche, who played in two games in 2014, and sophomore
Liam Cadman, who moved over to the defensive backfield from wide receiver.
Freshmen who look to break into the rotation include
Lawrence Menyah, a 2014 First Team All-City selection at Brooklyn Tech;
James Biggs-Frazier, an All-City selection at William Penn Charter High School in Philadelphia;
Antonio Jackson, a 2014 First Team All-State punt returner and Second Team All-State wide receiver at Loudon County High School in Leesburg, Virginia;
Bryce Petty, a two-time all-conference pick at Bartlett High School in Bartlett, Illinois;
Tyler Long, a Second Team All-State pick and First Team All-District selection last fall at Tiffin Calvert High School in Tiffin, Ohio;
Dylan Mabin, a First Team All-Suburban League selection at both wide receiver and defensive back at Nordonia High School in Macedonia, Ohio.
