Brooklyn Tech sends wide receiver to Fordham University

February 5, 2015 By Rob Abruzzese Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Lawrence Menyah (center) signed his National Letter of Intent on Wednesday with Brooklyn Tech Athletic Director Christopher LaCarrubba (left) and head coach Kyle McKenna (right) looking on. Eagle photo by Rob Abruzzese

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When he was in ninth grade, Lawrence Menyah had never even stepped on a football field. On Wednesday, the Brooklyn Tech wide receiver officially signed his National Letter of Intent to play at Fordham University the next four years.

“This is really special,” said Menyah, who expects to play safety at Fordham. “I never really thought I would be here. I used to look up to the older kids during their days like this, and I always wanted to have this chance. It’s a blessing to be here right now.”

Menyah, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound son of Ghanaian parents, arrived at Brooklyn Tech as a freshman and had never played football.

He joined the junior varsity squad in 10th grade, and coaches said he immediate took to the sport.

“He had the raw athletic ability, and once he got some coaching, he just flourished,” said Brooklyn Tech head coach Kyle McKenna.

During his first season on varsity, Menyah had more than 600 total yards on offense and five touchdowns. He also had 57 tackles, two sacks and a touchdown as a middle linebacker on defense. During his senior year, he had 845 total yards of offense with 58 tackles and two sacks on defense. He was named All-Brooklyn first team by the Brooklyn Daily Eagle after his senior season.
Coaches at Fordham didn’t need to wait to see how well he did during his senior year, though. They started recruiting him April of his junior year, and he verbally committed to the Bronx college in July prior to the start of his senior season.

With many of his teammates looking up to him as a Fordham recruit, Menyah had to step out of his comfort zone and become a more vocal leader during his senior year of high school. He said it is something that he expects will help him transition to college, but added that he’ll probably go back to being the quiet type when he gets there. His coaches aren’t so convinced.

“I think that sometimes guys who are that good at what they do, they have no choice but to step out and lead,” McKenna said. “Going into college, he’s going to be a patient person that kind of waits and sees his environment. He doesn’t want to step on anyone’s toes when it comes to his teammates, but when his time comes, he’ll step up.”

A Bronx native, Menyah will be attending classes close to home — but that wasn’t part of the reason he signed with Fordham. He cited the comfort level with the coaches and their intense desire to sign him as the biggest reasons. It also didn’t hurt that his former Brooklyn Tech teammate, Kyvaune Brammer, is at Fordham as well.

“He’s one of those people who believed in me when I first came here,” Menyah said of Brammer. “He used to always put me on his 7-on-7 team. We played receiver together, and he always helped me out. That’s going to be a good relationship I have once I get there.”

Menyah joins a Fordham program that is currently on the rise. The Rams went 11-3 in the Football Championship Subdivision last season and won the Patriot League before a second round playoff elimination.