Team News - Golden Rams Start Spring Practice

Spring practice for the Golden Rams starts Monday. The team is scheduled to practice Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 4:00pm from March 28 through April 20. Saturday sessions will be at 10:00am with April 2 being a practice, while April 9 and April 16 will be intrasquad scrimmages. The Purple-Gold Spring Game is scheduled for Friday April 22 at 7:00 pm.

Going into the spring, the biggest question for fans is who is even on the team. Between the transfer portal and the COVID year of eligibility that some players choose to take while others do not, there may be significant changes.

One unit that will surely have the most new faces is the defensive line. Although he only played two seasons for the Golden Rams, Michael Gobora (42 tackles, 17.4 TFL) is on track to graduate this spring and enter the professional workforce. Other defensive linemen that have exhausted their eligibility are Omar Peterkin (40 tackles, 8.0 TFL), Joe DeSanto (14 tackles, 2.0 TFL), and Fulani Freeman (9 tackles, 3.0 sacks). Linebacker Cole Zapf (72 tackles, 15.5 TFL), strong safety Jordan Burney (50 tackles, 2.0 TFL) and linebacker Nick Chapman (10 tackles) are also departed. Zapf, Burney, Gobora and Peterkin ranked two through four on the West Chester 2021 tackle list while Zapf, Gobora and Peterkin were three of West Chester's four All-PSAC East defenders from last season. Top tackler and PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year Jackson Taylor returns at his linebacker position.

While the Golden Ram offense ranked only 13th in the PSAC in passing yards per game, the receiving area will also undergo changes. Exhausting eligibility are receiver Rasheem James (40 catches, 603 yards, 4 TD's) and tight ends Dan Neuhaus (22 catches, 482 yards, 5 TD's) and Jalen Jackson (4 catches, 73 yards, 3 TD's). Those three accounted for 60% of the Golden Rams' receiving yards and touchdowns in 2021.