The Raiders Tirol have finally found their quarterback for the 2024 European League of Football season, as the Austrian franchise announced the signing of D’Angelo Fulford.
The 6’2″, 210 pound native of Cooper City, Florida was a three-year starter at the University of Mount Union, arguably the premier football program at the NCAA Division III level. From 2017 to 2019, Fulford’s Purple Raiders won over 40 games while losing just two. His most prolific season came in 2017, in which he threw for 3,096 yards with a whopping 50 touchdowns, while throwing just five interceptions. He also proved to be effective with his legs, as he rushed for 453 yards and eight touchdowns. That season, Mount Union went undefeated and won the Stagg Bowl, the NCAA Division III championship game.
In 2018, Fulford threw for 2,837 yards and 37 touchdowns with six interceptions, while also adding 488 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. He led his team to an undefeated regular season and a championship game appearance, though the Purple Raiders lost in the final. In his final season of 2019, Fulford set a career high in passing yards with 3,118, while also throwing for 43 touchdowns and only two interceptions. He racked up 360 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns as well. His team once again won their conference and finished the regular season undefeated, though they lost in the second round of the playoffs to the eventual champions.
After graduating from Mount Union, due to COVID, it took over a year for Fulford to land on a professional team. In 2021, he signed with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League, and later spent time with the Bay Area Panthers of the Indoor Football League and the Vegas Vipers of the XFL. However, he has not yet had the chance to see meaningful playing time at any professional level.
If Fulford can play like he did in college, the Raiders will have found a stud quarterback to strengthen their offense. The Raiders were the last ELF team that needed to sign a quarterback; now, every team knows who will be taking the first snap of their 2024 seasons.
