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Long Island in the end zone!
Stony Brook’s own J.J. Laap found the end zone for the Los Angeles Rams in a pre-season game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday, as the rookie wide receiver hauled in a 47-yard pass from two-time College Football National Champion Stetson Bennett. Watch the incredible catch below.
STETSON FINDS JJ LAAP FOR THE TD!!
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) August 18, 2024
📺 @ABC7 | 📲 https://t.co/4beUdm4vkg pic.twitter.com/egHm7Hz1zl
“Honestly, I’ve been waiting for an opportunity like that my entire life,” Laap told the media after the game. “I was just thinking, ‘Go make a play,’ and I came down with it. So, man, that was awesome.”
Laap finished the game with two receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown. The Rams next pre-season game is next Saturday, Aug. 24, at 1 p.m. against the Houston Texans.
Laap, a Ward Melville graduate, signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent after leaving SUNY Cortland, where he led the team to its first-ever Division III national football championship last fall.
According to SUNY Cortland Athletics, Laap started all 11 games last season, leading the team with 41 receptions for a team-high 907 yards and six touchdowns. He averaged a team-best 22.1 yards per reception. In a 2023 win over Wittenberg University (Ohio), he caught nine passes for a school-record 312 yards and two touchdowns, including one for 90 yards.
Laap was also a runner-up for the Hansen Award as the best player in Suffolk County during his high school career.
In addition to Laap, there are six other Long Island rookies in the NFL: Manorville’s Matt Goncalves (OL, Indianapolis Colts), Westhampton’s Dylan Laube (RB, Las Vegas Raiders), Farmingdale’s Jawhar Jordan (RB, Houston Texans), Bay Shore’s Messiah Swinson (TE, Green Bay Packers), Lawrence’s Chris Collier (RB, Baltimore Ravens) and Massapequa Park’s Owen Glascoe (TE, New England Patriots).
