The Raiders Tirol have signed their first American import on the defensive side of the ball, as the team announced the acquisition of defensive back Fara’ad McCombs.
A native of the New York City metropolitan area, McCombs played collegiately close to home at Columbia University in New York City. He made an immediate impact in his true freshman season of 2018, starting the final six games of the season and recording 28 total tackles, 1 interception, and 5 passes defended. In his sophomore season, he finished with 13 tackles, 4 passes defended, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery.
After the 2020 season was canceled due to COVID-19, McCombs came back in 2021 and appeared in five games before the rest of his season was cut short due to an injury. In those five games, he recorded 22 total tackles and one interception. His final season of 2022 was his most productive. McCombs played in all 10 games, and finished the year with 64 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and two interceptions, both of which came in an overtime victory against Brown. Following the season, he was named as an Honorable Mention to the All-Ivy League Team.
This upcoming season will be McCombs’ first at the professional level. The Raiders have been perhaps the slowest team at signing American imports, but with the signings of McCombs and quarterback D’Angelo Fulford, they now have one on each side of the ball. They still can sign two more Americans before the season kicks off on May 25.
