Pittsburgh Central Catholic linebacker Niko Thorpe announced Saturday afternoon that he has committed to Division I FCS Fordham.
The Rams recently finished the season in the Top 10 of the FCS coaches poll. Fordham, out of the Patriot League, finished 12-2 this year.
Thorpe also had offers from Lafayette and Stony Brook. The 5-foot-11, 217-pound middle linebacker was the central force in a defense that led Central Catholic to the PIAA Quad-A title game. Thorpe had 130 tackles, forced seven fumbles and recovered four, had an interception, and had two scores on the defensive side of the ball.
Fordham has made inroads recently on Pennsylvania, an area that they had gone away from in past years. There are just three Pennsylvania natives on the current roster, but they've pushed into the state more this season and Thorpe is the latest Pennsylvania product to commit this year. Fordham has targeted a dozen or more Pennsylvania products, and Thorpe joins Shady Side running back Jarred Brevard and Central Dauphin East RB Chase Edmonds as the third commit to the New York City school.
The change in emphasis occurred with the hiring of Jim Moorhead as head coach prior to the 2012 season. Moorhead took a team that was 1-11 in 2011 and has gone 18-7 in his first two seasons. He is a Pittsburgh native, and he's added other coaches with Pennsylvania ties to his staff. Lock Haven graduate Andrew Breiner is the team's quarterbacks coach, defensive coordinator David Blackwell previously coached at Pitt, running backs coach Tim Zetts coached at IUP and Cal (Pa.), and special teams coach Nick Sluzky coached at Albright College in Reading.
In a sport that's all about relationships and familiarity, those Pennsylvania ties are starting to pay off for Fordham.
The Rams recently finished the season in the Top 10 of the FCS coaches poll. Fordham, out of the Patriot League, finished 12-2 this year.
Thorpe also had offers from Lafayette and Stony Brook. The 5-foot-11, 217-pound middle linebacker was the central force in a defense that led Central Catholic to the PIAA Quad-A title game. Thorpe had 130 tackles, forced seven fumbles and recovered four, had an interception, and had two scores on the defensive side of the ball.
Fordham has made inroads recently on Pennsylvania, an area that they had gone away from in past years. There are just three Pennsylvania natives on the current roster, but they've pushed into the state more this season and Thorpe is the latest Pennsylvania product to commit this year. Fordham has targeted a dozen or more Pennsylvania products, and Thorpe joins Shady Side running back Jarred Brevard and Central Dauphin East RB Chase Edmonds as the third commit to the New York City school.
The change in emphasis occurred with the hiring of Jim Moorhead as head coach prior to the 2012 season. Moorhead took a team that was 1-11 in 2011 and has gone 18-7 in his first two seasons. He is a Pittsburgh native, and he's added other coaches with Pennsylvania ties to his staff. Lock Haven graduate Andrew Breiner is the team's quarterbacks coach, defensive coordinator David Blackwell previously coached at Pitt, running backs coach Tim Zetts coached at IUP and Cal (Pa.), and special teams coach Nick Sluzky coached at Albright College in Reading.
In a sport that's all about relationships and familiarity, those Pennsylvania ties are starting to pay off for Fordham.