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Greg Schiano challenged Mike Tverdov. Play hard, and to your maximum effort, on every snap. Simple as that. The defensive end from Union took it to heart. By the end of the fall, he was Rutgers' best defensive lineman. "You can't afford to take plays off in this league," Tverdov said recently. "Last year I was 6-foot-3, 250 pounds. I'm not a guy who can sit in the gap and take plays off. It doesn't work like that. "Swarm and finish every play, giving every single play your maximum effort is how things are going to turn out for you. I think that's the mindset I developed later in the season. Not only did I start playing harder, but I started believing in our system, believing in the coaching. It helped our defense and it helped me personally. I'm looking to go as hard as I can on every single play and see how far I can push myself."

Tverdov racked up 19 tackles (six for a loss) and four sacks in the Scarlet Knights' final three games of the season. It was a significant surge for a player who had just 17 tackles in the first six games, and it raised expectations for a breakout 2021, starting with spring practice - which is currently on hold due to a COVID-19 pause. "He loves to play the game of football. I think he prepares, and he's learning how to prepare within our system. And then when you have some positive actions go for you, things really start to be on the uptick," defensive coordinator Robb Smith said. "He's set the bar for himself now in terms of preparation and how he needs to respond. We're excited to see him this spring and that's got to carry on into the fall." - Star Ledger

(DS#50 DE) rSr/2022

DE Mike Tverdov, Rutgers
News Source: Star Ledger
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03/11/21 - Bo Melton, rSr/2022, Rutgers, 5-11, 190 (DS#18 WR) + More +

Bo Melton wanted one more year. One more year at Rutgers, one more year to keep improving under wide receivers coach Tiquan Underwood and one more year in Greg Schiano's program. Melton was a major part of the Scarlet Knights' offense in 2020, and shortly after the season ended the South Jersey native announced he was coming back. "I've been here for only one year with them, I wanted an extra year to grow and get better as a player," Melton said Tuesday. "Coming back here with Coach (Sean) Gleeson, a great offensive coordinator. Just trying to get better as an offense and as a team."

Melton's return means that Rutgers will have one of its most productive and consistent players back for another season. Soon Melton will get the chance to work even more with Underwood when spring practices begin - a chance Melton didn't have last year when the pandemic forced the cancellation of the spring schedule. The 5-11, 190-pound Melton caught 47 passes for 638 yards and six touchdowns last season, the best year he's had with the Scarlet Knights. Melton also rushed for 69 yards on six carries with two touchdowns and had another TD on a punt return. - Asbury Park Press

(DS#18 WR) rSr/2022

WR Bo Melton, Rutgers
News Source: Asbury Park Press
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02/25/21 - Olakunle Fatukasi, rSr/2022, Rutgers, 6-1, 234 (DS#19 ILB) + More +

Olakunle Fatukasi is the type of football player who lets his play do the talking. Typically soft spoken in media interviews, Fatukasi didn't want to discuss his decision on whether to return for another collegiate season or enter the NFL as the Rutgers football campaign came to a close in December. Instead, the Big Ten's leading tackler sent out a simple tweet to the Rutgers faithful a day after concluding a breakthrough senior season. "2020 been a crazy year...but don't worry, I see ya next year," he wrote Twitter.

After finishing second on the Scarlet Knights and 11th in the Big Ten with 85 tackles as a junior, Fatukasi emerged as one of the nation's premier weakside linebackers this past season. "He's obviously one of the better football players in our league," Smith said. "I have a soft spot in my heart for linebackers, having worked with that position before. We've had a pretty good run with guys like O3. I like his mindset. He's back just to take his game to the next level and hopefully help us defensively to take us to another level." - Star Ledger

(DS#19 ILB) rSr/2022

ILB Olakunle Fatukasi, Rutgers
News Source: Star Ledger
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02/24/21 - Jovani Haskins, rSr/2022, Rutgers, 6-5, 252 (DS#27 TE) + More +

Rutgers' tight ends room has been star-crossed in recent years. Attrition, injuries and a lack of consistent production has made the position group arguably the weakest on the Scarlet Knights' roster. Offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson believes the unit is about to turn the corner. He expects Jovani Haskins will be a big reason why. "Jovani is a guy who played a ton of football for us and was a mainstay on the field at all times. He really performed well," Gleeson said. "We asked him to put his hand in the ground a little bit more than he had in other parts of his career, but he flourished. And he's going to continue to because he's really coachable."

Haskins, a Bergenfield product, was a top-10 recruit in the state during the 2016 signing cycle and started his college career at Miami before moving on to West Virginia. He had some success for the Mountaineers in 2018, but fell off the following season after offseason legal issues. Haskins then landed at Rutgers last June and started all nine games in 2020, hauling in six catches for 58 yards and two touchdowns while showing flashes as a blocker. Head coach Greg Schiano praised Haskins' efforts, saying he got better each week. - Star Ledger

(DS#27 TE) rSr/2022

TE Jovani Haskins, Rutgers
News Source: Star Ledger
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02/14/21 - Bo Melton, rSr/2022, Rutgers, 5-11, 190 (DS#18 WR) + More +

Bo Melton's decision to return to Rutgers for his final season of eligibility was a major boost for the Scarlet Knights' offense. It was a bigger win for their culture. "We're thrilled. And a lot of people would say we're thrilled because of the production he had and the year he had. And yes, for sure," coach Greg Schiano said recently. "But what makes me even more excited is he is one of the hardest workers on our team. When your best players are your hardest workers, as a head coach, you've got something cooking."

Melton finally delivered the breakout season last fall that many anticipated when he signed with Rutgers as a four-star recruit out of Cedar Creek High in 2017. He had 47 receptions for 638 receiving yards and nine total touchdowns, finishing with 942 all-purpose yards. Melton was one of several key veteran players Rutgers was able to retain. Cornerback Tre Avery, linebackers Olakunle Fatukasi, Tyshon Fogg and Tyreek Maddox-Williams, punter Adam Korsak, center Nick Krimin and defensive tackle Julius Turner are all set to return as well. - Star Ledger

(DS#18 WR) rSr/2022

WR Bo Melton, Rutgers
News Source: Star Ledger
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02/01/21 - Olakunle Fatukasi, rSr/2022, Rutgers, 6-1, 234 (DS#19 ILB) + More +

Fatukasi was the Big Ten's leading tackler during an unbalanced 2020 season, racking up 101 of them despite coming out early in the Scarlet Knights' last two games because of injury. The All-Big Ten media first-teamer banked 17 stops on two separate occasions last year. - News Gazette Tribune

(DS#19 ILB) rSr/2022

ILB Olakunle Fatukasi, Rutgers
News Source: News Gazette Tribune
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01/23/21 - Olakunle Fatukasi, rSr/2022, Rutgers, 6-1, 234 (DS#19 ILB) + More +

The return of Rutgers' star linebacker duo won't just boost the Scarlet Knights' defense in 2021 - it may lead to some notable revisions to their record book. Olakunle Fatukasi and Tyshon Fogg will have a chance to crack the top 10 in career tackles at Rutgers after opting to return for a fifth season of eligibility. The Queens native earned All-Big Ten honors after leading the conference with 101 tackles this fall during his breakout season. The production nearly doubled his output from his first three seasons. Fatukasi enters next season with 213 total tackles. He needs 111 more to pass Keith Woetzel, who is currently 10th in program history with 323 tackles. - Star Ledger

(DS#19 ILB) rSr/2022

ILB Olakunle Fatukasi, Rutgers
News Source: Star Ledger
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01/21/21 - Noah Vedral, rSr/2024, Rutgers, 6-1, 200 (DS#999 QB) + More +

Noah Vedral left Nebraska when he did because he knew he had a chance to be a multiple-year starter at quarterback somewhere else. He found that opportunity at Rutgers and he isn't giving it up anytime soon. Vedral, the Wahoo native and former Husker signal-caller, put a video on Twitter on Wednesday with highlights from the 2020 season and said, "Just getting started." The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder started seven games for the Scarlet Knights in 2020, is listed as a senior on Rutgers' online roster but could play two more seasons in New Jersey due to the NCAA granting an extra year of eligibility for all players. - Lincoln Journal Star

(DS#999 QB) rSr/2024

QB Noah Vedral, Rutgers
News Source: Lincoln Journal Star
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01/15/21 - Patrice Rene, rSr/2022, Rutgers, 6-2, 202 (DS#144 CB) + More +

Rutgers has added some help to its back seven. North Carolina defensive back graduate transfer Patrice Rene committed to the Scarlet Knights on Wednesday night, NJ Advance Media's Todderick Hunt confirmed. Yahoo! Sports' Pete Thamel first reported the news. Rene featured in 44 games at cornerback across five seasons with North Carolina. A former four-star recruit out of Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia, the Canada native suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2019 after just two games for which he received a medical redshirt. He played in nine games in the 2020 season, collecting 28 tackles (two for loss), defended four passes and forced one fumble. In his career, Rene has 103 tackles (four for loss), two interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. - Star Ledger

(DS#144 CB) rSr/2022

CB Patrice Rene, Rutgers
News Source: Star Ledger
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01/05/21 - Bo Melton, rSr/2022, Rutgers, 5-11, 190 (DS#18 WR) + More +

Melton opted to take advantage of the free-year-of-eligibility waiver granted to all fall athletes by the NCAA, and will be poised to become one of the Big Ten's premier play-makers in 2021. The Mays Landing native ranked among the Big Ten's top-5 in receptions (4th, 47), receiving yards (3rd, 638) and receiving touchdowns (4th, 6) in nine game this past fall. - Star Ledger

(DS#18 WR) rSr/2022

WR Bo Melton, Rutgers
News Source: Star Ledger
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01/02/21 - Bo Melton, rSr/2022, Rutgers, 5-11, 190 (DS#18 WR) + More +

Two Rutgers players - defensive back Brendon White and defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour - have declared for the NFL Draft since the end of the season. While wide receiver Bo Melton, defensive tackle Julius Turner and linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi all announced their intentions to return for 2021, a few other Scarlet Knights with potential NFL futures haven't made their plans public, including defensive end Elorm Lumor, running back Isaih Pacheco and cornerback Tre Avery. - Star Ledger

(DS#18 WR) rSr/2022

WR Bo Melton, Rutgers
News Source: Star Ledger
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12/31/20 - Taj Harris, rSr/2024, Rutgers, 6-1, 180 (DS#999 WR) + More +

2020 ALL-ACC FOOTBALL THIRD TEAM (COACHES/MEDIA): WR - Taj Harris, Syracuse, 57,...Harris was fifth in the ACC in receptions per game (5.8), continuing the tradition under head coach Dino Babers of a player finishing in the top-five in the category in each season he's been at Syracuse. He was sixth in receiving yards per game (73.3). He'll begin the 2021 season ranked sixth in program history in career catches (135) tied with Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison. - Syracuse Football

(DS#999 WR) rSr/2024

WR Taj Harris, Rutgers
News Source: Syracuse Football
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12/23/20 - Olakunle Fatukasi, rSr/2022, Rutgers, 6-1, 234 (DS#19 ILB) + More +

Olakunle Fatukasi announced Sunday he plans to return to Rutgers for the 2021 season, passing up the opportunity to enter the NFL Draft following a season in which he became the only Big Ten player to crack the 100-tackle plateau. Fatukasi, whose 101 tackles ranked 7th in the season, is the first Rutgers player to take advantage of the rule implemented earlier this fall by the NCAA that allows all fall-sports athletes to take an extra year of eligibility that won't count against a team's scholarship limit in 2021-22. Fatukasi played in 12 games as true freshman in 2017, 11 in 2018, 12 in 2019 and all nine this season. Fatukasi, who has an older brother (Foley Fatukasi) on the Jets and a younger brother (Tunde) on the Scarlet Knights, figures to be a leading candidate for the Butkus Award heading into the 2021 season. - Star Ledger

(DS#19 ILB) rSr/2022

ILB Olakunle Fatukasi, Rutgers
News Source: Star Ledger
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12/23/20 - Brendon White, Sr/2021, Rutgers, 6-1, 215 (DS#16 SS) + More +

Brendon White said he had unfinished business when he decided to transfer to Rutgers after spending the previous three years at Ohio State. "I just want to get out there and show the world not only what I'm about but what this new Rutgers program is going to be about,'' he told NJ Advance Media in July. White accomplished that when he was on the field during an injury-plagued season, recording 40 tackles, an interception, two pass breakups, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble in five games.

On Sunday, two days after the Scarlet Knights lost to Nebraska in their season finale, White announced he is turning pro. "After many thoughts and prayers with family and friends," he wrote, "I am officially announcing that I will be declaring for the 2021 NFL Draft." A 6-foor-2, 220-pound safety from Powell, Ohio, White will be looking to follow in the footsteps of his father, William White, who was an 11-year standout in the NFL for Detroit, Kansas City and Atlanta. - Star Ledger

(DS#16 SS) Sr/2021

SS Brendon White, Rutgers
News Source: Star Ledger
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12/21/20 - Ifeanyi Maijeh, rSr/2023, Rutgers, 6-1, 289 (DS#58 DT) + More +

Rutgers added some experienced help along the defensive line on Friday. The Scarlet Knights landed Temple grad defensive tackle Ifeanyi Maijeh, he announced on Twitter. He has two more years of eligibility and will be immediately eligible to play in the 2021 season. Rutgers defensive backs coach Fran Brown and defensive line coach Jim Panagos coached at Temple during his freshman year, and served as ties to the team. Maijeh is also a cousin of Rutgers linebacker and the Big Ten's leading tackler, Olakunle Fatukasi.

Maijeh, a former three-star prospect out of Brooklyn (N.Y.) Poly Prep, was a first-team All-AAC selection after a strong sophomore season in 2019 in which he had 10 tackles for loss, including 6.5 sacks. He entered the 2020 season with many preseason accolades, including the Bednarik Award (nation's best defender), Nagurski Trophy (nation's best defensive player) and Outland Trophy (nation's best interior lineman watch lists, but struggled to repeat his previous success, finishing the coronavirus-shortened season with half a tackle for loss and zero sacks in seven games. - Star Ledger

(DS#58 DT) rSr/2023

DT Ifeanyi Maijeh, Rutgers
News Source: Star Ledger
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