Alonzo and Lorenzo Riddick, fraternal twins from Hempstead, making a major impact with Fordham football

It had been a long, physically exhausting afternoon.

It was a recent Tuesday afternoon, and the Fordham football team was on its Murphy Field practice field preparing for that week’s opponent, Stony Brook.

For two hours, starters and regulars worked on the conceivable scenarios they could encounter five days later at Moglia Stadium at Jack Coffey Field as part of the Bronx school’s homecoming celebrations.

As coaches and coordinators barked orders, the offensive and defensive units worked on everything. Down-and-distance situations. Short-yardage situations. RPO schemes. Multiple receiver sets. Special teamers going over kick returns and kick coverage; every possible punting and field goal eventuality.

In the middle of it all were Alonzo and Lorenzo Riddick. The fraternal twins from Hempstead went through the exercises with a shared sense of purpose and quiet seriousness.

Those traits, among others, have become wholly appreciated by coach Joe Conlin, his staff and others associated with Fordham.

“They’re fantastic young men,” Conlin said of the sophomores. “They have a tremendous work ethic. Both of them consistently stay out after practice. They are great teammates. Hard workers in the weight room. Doing very well in school. No issues. No disciplinary issues whatsoever.

“They’re just fantastic men. Great teammates. Leaders. At least one of them is on track to being a captain. Maybe both. They are those type of guys.”

Those tangible and intangible attributes have revealed themselves in the two years the Riddicks have spent with the Patriot League program.

What intrigued Conlin and his staff when the formal introductions and initial encounter took place in June 2024 was what they had seen on tape.

They knew that Lorenzo, a defensive lineman, recorded 123 total tackles, 21 sacks and two fumble recoveries in 29 games spanning his sophomore, junior and senior seasons at Long Island Lutheran High School. They knew that Alonzo, a cornerback, totaled 177 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions and three fumble recoveries in the same time span and twice won Lutheran’s Defensive Player of the Year award. They knew that in the Riddicks’ final three years at Lutheran, the Crusaders went 8-2, 7-2 and 6-4.

So yes, there certainly was interest among the staff about the Riddicks’ participation in one of the program’s prospect camps. It would be one full day for the coaches to assess the brothers in person in a controlled setting at the school’s facility.

When the inspection concluded . . .

“I think we offered them — both of them — a scholarship that night,” Conlin said. “Then they came [on a] visit a couple weeks later and it was kind of a done deal. You just saw the potential in both of them. They’re both tall and long and fast and athletic, and they were competitive all night. They didn’t take any reps off. You saw just tremendous potential in both of them.”

Standing next to Alonzo as the fall afternoon shifted to a crisp, clear evening, Lorenzo recalled their thought process when the offer was presented to them.

“After they had offered both of us, it kind of made sense considering the other options [for us to] come here,” Lorenzo said.

Added Alonzo, “It was the plan to play college together and we’re blessed that we’re able to do so.”

One of the benefits of playing at Fordham is that it’s close to home. “We get to see our parents a lot,” Alonzo said.

Both saw some playing time for Fordham in the 2025 season — Lorenzo appeared in four games and totaled two tackles; Alonzo played in eight games and recorded 17 tackles and a sack — and the Riddicks have played in all five games this season.

Lorenzo, a defensive end, has started four games and has 17 total tackles and 2 1⁄2 sacks. Alonzo, a cornerback, has started one game and has a pass defensed and 16 total tackles.

“I feel decent about the way I’ve been playing,” Lorenzo said. “Of course I want to continue to get better, but I feel happy about what I’ve been able to do so far.”

For two brothers who came from a successful program, singular goals are secondary to helping Fordham become one in which winning is the expectation and the standard.

After Fordham’s 31-16 loss to Stony Brook, the Rams brought a 1-4 record into Saturday’s game against Lehigh.

“Individually, [we] just [want to] help our team out. Anything we can do to help the team win is a goal,” Alonzo said. “The goal is always to win. We plan on winning.”

Which brings us back to where we began.

Assistant coach Trent Kauffman, who works with the edge rushers and outside linebackers, and cornerbacks coach Diamond Weaver echoed Conlin when separately talking with Newsday about why the Riddicks’ attributes are conducive to team-building and creating successful programs.

“[Lorenzo’s] always been a guy since he’s been here that stuck to it and always had questions and [was] willing to build upon what he knew, what he needed to improve on, and stuff like that,” Kauffman said. “He’s kind of been a pillar in the room. He’s always been about, ‘Guys, let’s respect each other. Let’s build each other up because the better you get, the better I get, the better we get.’ ”

Added Weaver: “[Alonzo is] a guy that likes to ask why. He wants to know why. When you have a guy like Alonzo who does lead by example and is a man of few words, as a coach, you can use him as an example. Sometimes we need to be super-vocal and other times we need to let our actions speak. So having a guy in a room that can provide that example and do it at a high level, [it] makes my life easy as a position coach.”

It all starts in practice, such as that one on a recent Tuesday afternoon. “We come out every day excited to play,” Alonzo said.

It shows.