# 2026 Fordham Rams football team
The 2026 Fordham Rams football team represents [Fordham University](https://www.edgepedia.org/fordham-university) in the 2026 NCAA Division I FCS football season, the program's 126th varsity season. The Rams play their home games at Moglia Stadium at Jack Coffey Field in the Bronx, New York, compete in the [Patriot League](https://www.edgepedia.org/patriot-league), and are led by head coach Joe Conlin, who arrived in 2017 after serving as associate head coach and offensive coordinator at Yale.[1](https://fordhamsports.com/news/2026/9/10/football-travels-to-coastal-carolina-on-saturday.aspx) • [2](https://fordhamsports.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/joe-conlin/2081)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Season | 126th varsity season; ninth under head coach Joe Conlin[1](https://fordhamsports.com/news/2026/9/10/football-travels-to-coastal-carolina-on-saturday.aspx) • [2](https://fordhamsports.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/joe-conlin/2081) |
| Conference | Patriot League, expanded to ten football members in 2026 with the addition of Villanova and William & Mary[3](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/villanova.com/documents/2025/12/4/25fbnotesg13patriot.pdf) |
| Record (through Oct 10) | 2-5 overall, 2-2 in Patriot League play; points 109 for, 213 against[4](https://patriotleague.org/standings.aspx?path=football) |
| Wins | 52-27 at then-No. 21 William & Mary (Sept 19) and a Week 6 win over Richmond[5](https://fordhamsports.com/sports/football/schedule) |
| Home stadium | Moglia Stadium at Jack Coffey Field, Bronx, N.Y.[5](https://fordhamsports.com/sports/football/schedule) |
| Roster turnover | 40 new faces, including 16 transfers[6](https://fordhamsports.com/news/2026/7/28/football-opens-2026-camp.aspx) |
| Biggest personnel loss | All-America linebacker James Conway, who set the NCAA Division I career tackles record with 595[2](https://fordhamsports.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/joe-conlin/2081) • [7](https://www.college-sports-journal.com/26-patriot-league-football-preview-fordham/) |
## Schedule and results
The season opened on Friday, August 28, with a Patriot League game against Colgate at Moglia Stadium, which Fordham lost 14-24. The Rams then dropped three straight road games: 0-38 at North Dakota State on September 5, 7-45 at Coastal Carolina on September 12, and their first win of the year, 52-27, at then-No. 21 William & Mary on September 19. Homecoming on September 26 ended in a 16-31 loss to Stony Brook, and Fordham fell 0-34 at sixth-ranked Lehigh on October 3 before hosting Richmond on October 10.[5](https://fordhamsports.com/sports/football/schedule)
The remaining schedule sends the Rams to Bucknell on November 7, with home games against Villanova (October 17), Lafayette (October 24, Family Weekend), and Georgetown (November 14, Senior Day), and a season-ending trip to Holy Cross for the annual Ram-Crusader Cup on November 21.[5](https://fordhamsports.com/sports/football/schedule) • [8](https://fordhamsports.com/story.aspx?file_date=1%2F2%2F2026&filename=patriot-league-announces-2026-football-schedule)
| Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 28 | Colgate | L, 14-24[5](https://fordhamsports.com/sports/football/schedule) |
| Sep 5 | at North Dakota State | L, 0-38[5](https://fordhamsports.com/sports/football/schedule) |
| Sep 12 | at Coastal Carolina | L, 7-45[5](https://fordhamsports.com/sports/football/schedule) |
| Sep 19 | at William & Mary (#21) | W, 52-27[5](https://fordhamsports.com/sports/football/schedule) |
| Sep 26 | Stony Brook (Homecoming) | L, 16-31[5](https://fordhamsports.com/sports/football/schedule) |
| Oct 3 | at Lehigh (#6/6) | L, 0-34[5](https://fordhamsports.com/sports/football/schedule) |
## Season context
**A rebuilt roster.** The 2025 season ended at 1-11, and graduation took linebacker James Conway, who broke the national college football record for career tackles with 595 as a Ram and was a consensus All-American in 2025 while leading the NCAA in tackles.[2](https://fordhamsports.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/joe-conlin/2081) • [7](https://www.college-sports-journal.com/26-patriot-league-football-preview-fordham/) Conlin responded by turning again to the transfer portal: the 2026 roster carries 40 new players, 16 of them transfers, including offensive lineman Ryan Blum, a 6'1", 295-pound senior from Central Michigan who started four games at center for the Chippewas.[6](https://fordhamsports.com/news/2026/7/28/football-opens-2026-camp.aspx) • [7](https://www.college-sports-journal.com/26-patriot-league-football-preview-fordham/) The College Sports Journal's conference preview predicted an eighth-place finish in the ten-team league.[7](https://www.college-sports-journal.com/26-patriot-league-football-preview-fordham/)
**Leadership.** Fordham is represented by five captains in 2026: senior wide receiver Ricky Gonzalez II, senior center Dylan Haines, senior linebacker Andrew Osmun, grad student defensive lineman Colby Spencer, and senior quarterback Gunnar Smith.[1](https://fordhamsports.com/news/2026/9/10/football-travels-to-coastal-carolina-on-saturday.aspx) Osmun, a senior captain and preseason All-Patriot League selection, started all 12 games in 2025 with 100 total tackles, 49 solo, including eight for loss and one sack, and enters the season as the anchor of a linebacker unit replacing Conway.[9](https://fordhamsports.com/news/2026/8/10/2026-fordham-football-the-linebackers.aspx)
## Notable games
**At North Dakota State (September 5).** The 38-0 loss came against a Bison program that had won ten NCAA FCS titles, most recently in 2024, and moved up to the FBS level and the [Mountain West Conference](https://www.edgepedia.org/mountain-west-conference) this fall. The game in Fargo was the furthest west a Fordham football team had ever played; the previous mark was a 2021 game at Nebraska.[10](https://fordhamsports.com/news/2026/9/4/football-travels-to-north-dakota-on-saturday.aspx)
**At Coastal Carolina (September 12).** This was the first meeting between the two programs and Fordham's first game in [South Carolina](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-carolina); the Rams had previously played South Carolina schools at the [Polo Grounds](https://www.edgepedia.org/polo-grounds) in 1938 and Clemson at Triboro Stadium in 1952. Fordham alum and Athletic Hall of Famer Joe Moglia, the namesake of the Rams' home stadium, coached Coastal Carolina from 2012-18.[1](https://fordhamsports.com/news/2026/9/10/football-travels-to-coastal-carolina-on-saturday.aspx) • [8](https://fordhamsports.com/story.aspx?file_date=1%2F2%2F2026&filename=patriot-league-announces-2026-football-schedule)
**At William & Mary (September 19).** The 52-27 win over the 21st-ranked Tribe was Fordham's first meeting with William & Mary, one of the two programs joining the Patriot League for football in 2026 alongside Villanova.[5](https://fordhamsports.com/sports/football/schedule) • [3](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/villanova.com/documents/2025/12/4/25fbnotesg13patriot.pdf)
**At Lehigh (October 3).** Fordham fell 34-0 to the sixth-ranked Mountain Hawks, the two-time defending Patriot League champions who entered the game 6-0 overall and 4-0 in league play.[11](https://fordhamsports.com/news/2026/10/3/football-derailed-at-lehigh.aspx) • [4](https://patriotleague.org/standings.aspx?path=football)
## The expanded Patriot League
The 2026 season is the first with a ten-team Patriot League football schedule. William & Mary and Villanova joined as associate members for football beginning in 2026, after both had competed in the CAA through 2025.[3](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/villanova.com/documents/2025/12/4/25fbnotesg13patriot.pdf) • [8](https://fordhamsports.com/story.aspx?file_date=1%2F2%2F2026&filename=patriot-league-announces-2026-football-schedule) Fordham's 2026 schedule includes Patriot League games and one against an FBS opponent, with six home games at Moglia Stadium.[8](https://fordhamsports.com/story.aspx?file_date=1%2F2%2F2026&filename=patriot-league-announces-2026-football-schedule)
## References
1. [Football Travels to Coastal Carolina on Saturday, Fordham University Athletics](https://fordhamsports.com/news/2026/9/10/football-travels-to-coastal-carolina-on-saturday.aspx)
2. [Joe Conlin - Football Coach, Fordham University Athletics](https://fordhamsports.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/joe-conlin/2081)
3. [Patriot League Football 2025 notes (Villanova media guide PDF)](https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/villanova.com/documents/2025/12/4/25fbnotesg13patriot.pdf)
4. [2026 Football Standings, Patriot League](https://patriotleague.org/standings.aspx?path=football)
5. [2026 Football Schedule, Fordham University Athletics](https://fordhamsports.com/sports/football/schedule)
6. [Football Opens 2026 Camp, Fordham University Athletics](https://fordhamsports.com/news/2026/7/28/football-opens-2026-camp.aspx)
7. ['26 Patriot League Football Preview: Fordham, The College Sports Journal](https://www.college-sports-journal.com/26-patriot-league-football-preview-fordham/)
8. [Patriot League Announces 2026 Football Schedule, Fordham University Athletics](https://fordhamsports.com/story.aspx?file_date=1%2F2%2F2026&filename=patriot-league-announces-2026-football-schedule)
9. [2026 Fordham Football - The Linebackers, Fordham University Athletics](https://fordhamsports.com/news/2026/8/10/2026-fordham-football-the-linebackers.aspx)
10. [Football Travels to North Dakota on Saturday, Fordham University Athletics](https://fordhamsports.com/news/2026/9/4/football-travels-to-north-dakota-on-saturday.aspx)
11. [Football Derailed at Lehigh, Fordham University Athletics](https://fordhamsports.com/news/2026/10/3/football-derailed-at-lehigh.aspx)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › College, minor, and international American football › College football programs › 2026 season articles › FCS team season articles*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license