Better Know an Eagle 2017: #47 Fullback Colton Cardinal

Name: Colton Cardinal

Position: Fullback

Number: 47

Year: Junior

Height: 6’3”

Weight: 234

Hometown: Franklin, Massachusetts

High School: Franklin High School

2016 Stats: Appeared in 13 games, recording 3 receptions for 52 yards. He also played special teams in every game. In 2015, Cardinal was a linebacker (where he was originally recruited) who recorded 2 tackles.

Projections: Cardinal is the only listed fullback on the roster now that Bobby Wolford has graduated, so it seems likely that he gets a good deal of playtime given Steve Addazio’s reliance on power sets for the run game. I would not guess Cardinal would end up with a lot of stats though, since the fullback is one of those “does the dirty work and doesn’t get the glory” positions.

Over/Under: 6 receptions.

How’d He Get Here: Cardinal was unranked by the major recruiting services, but he had interest from Syracuse, Penn State, UConn, and a few other schools according to the MetroWest Daily News. He was set on attending Delaware, but when former DC Don Brown came in and offered him a preferred walk on spot, the opportunity was too good to pass up. He told Metro, “I wasn’t so glamorized about big-time college football as finding the best academic school that I could get into,” and brought himself on the Heights that fall.

Below is the HUDL for his senior year, and you can really see how physically superior he was compared to his competition.

Fun Fact: Cardinal played varsity football all four years at Franklin, getting a rule exception from his coach and skipping right past the JV and Freshman team