Fariweather granted medical redshirt

By rbrown
- Tweet
- Pin It
Updated: May 14, 2017

St. Anselm quarterback Eric Fairweather, who missed most of last season with an ankle injury, has been granted a medical redshirt by the NCAA. Fairweather, who will be a junior next fall, will have three years of athletic eligibility remaining and said he plans to use all three.

“I got the letter (from the NCAA) last week,” Fairweather said. “I want to play this game for as long as I can. That’s the plan.”

Fairweather, who was named the Gatorade Player of the Year during his senior season at Londonderry High School, Fairweather appeared in eight games (seven starts) during his freshman season at St. Anselm. He completed 112 of 187 passes for 1,058 yards and seven touchdowns that year. He also ran the ball 107 times for 716 yards and eight touchdowns. He had three 100-yard rushing performances, including a 177-yard effort against Stonehill.

“He’s got leadership qualities,” St. Anselm coach Joe Adam said.. “He’s elusive. He has good open-grass speed. He has poise as far as a quarterback. Good arm strength. He’s the total package.”

Fairweather suffered his ankle injury early in St. Anselm’s 38-16 loss at Wagner in last year’s opener and missed the rest of the season. It was the same ankle Fairweather injured during his junior year at Londonderry. That injury caused him to miss five games that season.

Fairweather is one of four quarterbacks currently on the St. Anselm roster, including Jack Walsh, a transfer from the University of Maine.

“He’s in a competition, but I can tell you he won’t be standing next to me (on the sideline) if he doesn’t win the competition,” Adam said. “We have to continue to find creative ways to get the ball in his hands. Guys like Eric Fairweather don’t come around very often. That kid is a winner.”