Head FCS Football Coach Bob Ford Announces University of Albany 2010 Recruiting Class - UAlbany Sports 2010

Albany, N.Y. - University at Albany head football coach Bob Ford announced on Wednesday, Feb. 3 the signing of 16 student-athletes to national letters of intent to play for the Great Danes in the 2010-11 academic year. UAlbany posted a 7-4 record and finished second in the Northeast Conference standings last season.

The 2010 signing class features seven players from the state of New York, plus three from New Jersey, three from Ohio, two from Florida, and one from Maryland. The breakdown by position includes one offensive lineman, three wide receivers, three running backs, one quarterback, one tight end, four defensive linemen, two linebackers and one defensive back.

"We did a good job of meeting our needs in the defensive line and wide receiver positions," said UAlbany coach Bob Ford, who is the winningest active Division I FCS coach with 241 career victories. "There are two defensive ends and two tackles in the class, and (Zach) Morton is arguably the best defensive lineman in the Capital Region. The three receivers have lots of speed. (Lance) Fanthrop has great hands and was an all-state player."

Among the Great Danes' commitments is running back Dillon Romain, the 2008 New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year who attended Blair Academy last year, and defensive lineman Andrew Smith, a Class AA first-team all-state player from Long Island who originally signed with Hofstra University. Both student-athletes enrolled at UAlbany in January and will participate in 2010 spring practice.

"We were fortunate to have two enroll in January and they will be with us for spring ball," Ford stated. "(Dillon) Romain is a year older after having gone to prep school. He has size and in time will be a good one. (Andrew) Smith is big, agile and extremely fast at his position."

The 2010 signing class features five players who earned all-state recognition by the New York State Sportswriters Association (NYSSWA), two were All-Ohio selections and two made the all-state team in New Jersey.

2010 University at Albany Football Signings
Name, Pos., Ht., Wt., Hometown (High School)
Brandon Baylor, S, 5-11, 179, Silver Spring, Md. (St. John's College)
Ryan Conway, DT, 6-0, 240, Brunswick, Ohio (Brunswick)
Jake Dwyer, ILB, 6-2, 215, Springboro, Ohio (Springboro)
Lance Fanthorp, WR, 5-11, 175, Cincinnati, Ohio (Morrow Little Miami)
Will Fiacchi, QB,, 6-3, 200, Marcellus, N.Y. (Marcellus)
Jameel Gay, WR, 5-11, 165, Tampa, Fla. (Alonso)
Clay Harris, RB, 5-10, 185, West Henrietta, N.Y. (Rush-Henrietta)
Austin Jenquine, OL, 6-4, 250, Largo, Fla. (Largo)
Kyle Jordan, OLB, 5-11, 195, Bernardsville, N.J. (Immaculata)
Cole King, WR, 6-1, 185, Syracuse, N.Y. (Henninger)
Tim Kologrivov, DT, 6-0, 265, Wyckoff, N.J. (Ramapo)
Zach Morton, DE, 6-5, 225, Burnt Hills, N.Y. (Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake)
Omar Osbourne, RB, 6-1, 195, Syracuse, N.Y. (Bishop Ludden)
Brian Parker, TE, 6-4, 240, Henrietta, N.Y. (McQuaid Jesuit)
Dillon Romain, RB, 5-11, 210, Vernon, N.J. (Don Bosco Prep)
Andrew Smith, DE, 6-2, 250, Wading River, N.J. (Riverhead)

UAlbany Football Signing Profiles
Brandon Baylor
S, 5-11, 179, Silver Spring, Md. (St. John's College)
Named to the MDHigh.com All-Washington D.C. second team ... All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) third team ... positioned at cornerback, safety, wide receiver and outside linebacker ... made 57 tackles with two interceptions, one forced fumble and six pass break-ups ... scored on a 15-yard INT return versus Bishop McNamara ... participated in D.C. All-Star Game ... the Cadets made their fifth consecutive WCAC playoff appearance in his junior season.

Ryan Conway
DT, 6-0, 240, Brunswick, Ohio (Brunswick)
Chosen All-Ohio Division I first team ... made 86 tackles ... first-team All-Northeast Inland District for the second consecutive season ... first-team All-Northeast Ohio Conference - Valley Division ... special mention All-Ohio Division I as a junior ... totaled 64 tackles, seven sacks, five tackles for a loss and four fumble recoveries ... also started on offensive line.

Jake Dwyer
ILB, 6-2, 215, Springboro, Ohio (Springboro)
Greater Western Ohio Conference (GWOC) South Defensive Player of the Year ... Division I All-Southwest District second team ... first-team All-GWOC South ... led Panthers to an 8-2 record by making 127 tackles, including 24 for a loss and seven sacks ... totaled 71 tackles, 14 TFLs and two sacks as a junior ... lettered in wrestling.

Lance Fanthorp
WR, 5-11, 175, Cincinnati, Ohio (Morrow Little Miami)
Selected All-Ohio Division II first team ... first-team All-Southwest District ... two-time All-Fort Ancient Valley Conference wide receiver ... ninth in the state with 63 receptions for 1,178 yards ... scored 17 touchdowns ... second-team All-Southwest District as a junior when he caught 45 passes for 927 yards and 10 TDs ... rushed for five scores ... FAVC's top 100-meter dash sprinter in 10.79 seconds.

Will Fiacchi
QB, 6-3, 200, Marcellus, N.Y. (Marcellus)
Named to NYSSWA Class B all-state first team ... All-Central New York first team by Syracuse Post Standard ... passed for 2,607 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior in leading the Mustangs to a 7-3 record ... third in state history with 6,971 career passing yards ... 70 career TD passes, eight rushing touchdowns and had a completion percentage of 58% ... recorded third-best single-game passing total in state annals with 519 yards against South Jefferson ... earned third-team all-state recognition as a junior when he threw for 2,169 yards and 21 TDs ... first-team All-Onondaga League as a sophomore ... passed for 2,176 yards and 25 touchdowns.

Jameel Gay
WR, 5-11, 165, Tampa, Fla. (Alonso)
Second-team All-Western Conference - American Division ... caught 33 passes for 417 yards and four touchdowns ... 14 tackles and three pass break-ups as a cornerback ... 2009 Hillsborough County All-Star Game ... played at Sickles High as a junior ... 36 receptions for 366 yards and one TD ... averaged 19.8 yards per kickoff return.

Clay Harris
RB, 5-10, 185, West Henrietta, N.Y. (Rush-Henrietta)
Named to the NYSSWA Class AA all-state fifth team ... All-Greater Rochester first team by Democrat & Chronicle ... rushed for 1,012 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior ... accounted for 252 all-purpose yards, including an 85-yard punt return for a score, against Fairport ... second-team All-Greater Rochester as junior when he ran for 1,480 yards and 22 TDs ... guard on Royal Comets' basketball team.

Austin Jenquine
OL, 6-4, 250, Largo, Fla. (Largo)
All-Pinellas County first team by St. Petersburg Times ... Florida Athletics Coaches Association (FACA) Class 4A All-District 10 squad as a center ... the Packers, who finished 9-3 overall, averaged 30.4 points and 199.9 rushing yards with 31 touchdowns ... his junior and sophomore teams each advanced to the 5A state semifinals ... coach for Largo Little League program.

Kyle Jordan
OLB, 5-11, 195, Bernardsville, N.J. (Immaculata)
Second-team All-Somerset County ... first-team All-Raritan Division ... rushed for 344 yards and four touchdowns as a fullback despite missing part of the season with a knee injury ... hauled in 21 passes for 220 yards and three TDs ... led Spartans to a 10-2 record ... made 43 tackles with 1.5 sacks and one interception as a linebacker.

Cole King
WR, 6-1, 185, Syracuse, N.Y. (Henninger)
All-Central New York first team by Syracuse Post Standard ... first-team All-Onondaga League Class AA-2 ... scored by pass reception, punt return and interception return as a senior ... member of 2008 Section III championship team ... second in high jump and third in long jump at 2009 Section III indoor track championship ... also competed in triple jump ... member of Black Knights' baseball team.

Tim Kologrivov
DT, 6-0, 265, Wyckoff, N.J. (Ramapo)
New Jersey All-Group III third team ... All-Bergen County second team ... All-Northern Bergen Interscholastic League (NBIL) ... 32 tackles, three sacks, four forced fumbles and one recovery as a senior ... WGHT All-Area squad ... Green Raiders finished with a 10-2 record ... baseball catcher.

Zach Morton
DE, 6-5, 225, Burnt Hills, N.Y. (Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake)
Chosen to NYSSWA Class A all-state second team as a defensive lineman ... Albany Times Union Large School All-Area Team ... Daily Gazette all-area first team and Troy Record all-area second team ... Class A Northwest Co-Defensive Player of the Year ... made 48 tackles with six sacks and two blocked punts ... Spartans reached state championship game and finished No. 4 in the Class A rankings with a 12-1 record ... first-team Class A Northwest as a junior ... one of the top Section II basketball scorers at 17.6 points per game.

Omar Osbourne
RB, 6-1, 195, Syracuse, N.Y. (Bishop Ludden)
Chosen to NYSSWA Class C all-state second team for the second year in a row ... Syracuse Post Standard All-Central New York first team as a junior and senior ... All-Onondaga League Class C West first team twice ... totaled 1,570 rushing yards, 450 receiving yards and scored 23 touchdowns as a senior ... ran for 239 yards and two TDs vs. Adirondack ... Gaelic Knights finished 8-1 and were ranked No. 11 in state poll ... rushed for 1,565 yards and scored 21 touchdowns as a junior ... member of basketball team.

Brian Parker
TE, 6-4, 240, Henrietta, N.Y. (McQuaid Jesuit)
All-Greater Rochester second team by Democrat & Chonicle ... the Knights, who went 8-2 overall and were No. 13 in state's Class A rankings, advanced to Section V Class A final ... caught three passes for 46 yards as a tight end and made eight tackles as a defensive end vs. Aquinas Institue in sectional title game ... member of two City-Catholic League championship teams ... honorable mention All-Greater Rochester in basketball as a junior when he averaged 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Dillon Romain
RB, 5-11, 210, Vernon, N.J. (Don Bosco Prep)
Attended Blair Academy in New Jersey where he was chosen All-Prep first team by Newark Star-Ledger ... rushed for 1,104 yards and 13 touchdowns ... played safety, cornerback and outside linebacker ... made 57 tackles, including eight for a loss, and had two forced fumbles and three recoveries ... totaled 331 all-purpose yards vs. Western Reserve (Ohio) Academy ... 2008 New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year at Don Bosco Prep ... 1,436 rushing yards and 26 TDs as a senior ... MVP of New Jersey vs. Northeast All-Star Classic ... led team to third consecutive Non-Public, Group IV state championship ... enrolled at UAlbany for 2010 spring semester.

Andrew Smith
DT, 6-2, 250, Wading River, N.Y. (Riverhead)
2008 NYSSWA Class AA first-team all-state selection ... led Riverhead High to a 12-0 record, the Long Island championship, Rutgers Cup and a Nassau County Division II title ... first-team All-Long Island by Newsday ... made 87 tackles as a defensive end and had 15 receptions and three touchdowns as a tight end ... totaled 71 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions as a junior ... member of track & field program ... originally signed with Hofstra University as a member of the 2009 class, but spent the fall semester as a student at Suffolk County Community College ... enrolled at UAlbany in 2010 spring semester.

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information