WR Jason Caldwell

Senior wide receiver Jason Caldwell’s playing time and productivity have fluctuated during his career at Fordham, but in 2009, he has finally broken out. The Baltimore native sat out his entire freshman year due to injury, but a strong and healthy sophomore campaign gave the impression that Caldwell would eventually become a leader of the receiving corps. In his junior year, however, he took an unexpected step back, starting only four of the nine games in which he appeared, finishing tied for fifth on the team in receptions.

This year, Caldwell has put himself back on track. He has been senior quarterback John Skelton’s No. 1 option through the air and has nearly doubled his offensive output from 2007 and 2008 combined. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Caldwell is not the tallest or strongest guy on the field, but his raw speed and sure hands are now accompanied by almost three full years of collegiate experience, and the results so far have been impressive. Heading into the final matchup of the season at Georgetown, the senior leads the Rams in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.

Of his 71 catches, eight have been for scores, including a 71-yard connection from Skelton in a 39-27 victory over Cornell on Oct. 17. On that day, in undoubtedly the game of his career, Caldwell caught nine passes for 245 yards and found the end zone four different times. In Fordham’s last three contests, the receiver has totaled no fewer than nine receptions and 128 receiving yards, and he will surely have the Georgetown secondary on its toes this Saturday.

DB James Crockett

Senior defensive back and two-year team captain James Crockett can do it all. He arrived at Fordham as a wide receiver his freshman year but converted to linebacker, appearing in all 11 of the team’s games that season. In 2007, after recovering a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown and sealing the victory with a late interception against Holy Cross, Crockett was named NCAA FCS defensive player of the week.

After spending the last two seasons starting all 23 games at linebacker and earning second team All-Patriot League honors at that position, Crockett surprisingly moved to free safety for 2009. The 6-foot-2, 221-pound senior racked up the second-most tackles on the Fordham defense in 2008, and he also led the Patriot League with three forced fumbles and ranked 17th in total tackles. A former high school first team All-State selection, the senior’s willingness this season to play the third position of his college career signifies that he is a versatile player.

Crockett, an Ohio native, will be a menace to Georgetown receivers, running backs and quarterbacks alike this weekend. The business administration major leads the Rams in unassisted tackles with 48 and is tied for the team lead in tackles for a loss with seven, but he has also recorded 2.5 sacks for a total loss of 32 yards, one interception returned for 11 yards and two fumble recoveries. He, along with senior wide receiver Asa Lucas and defensive lineman Darzell Wright, is one of the first Fordham players to be selected to the annual East Coast Bowl all-star game this year. Simply put, Crockett seems to like free safety just fine, and that is bad news for the Hoyas.

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