Draft Scout Rutgers Player News, College Football: Rutgers

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Draft Scout College Football Player News: Rutgers

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08/27/21 - Taj Harris, rSr/2024, Rutgers + More +

Taj Harris is in a unique position to break a major Syracuse record this season. The junior wideout is just 1,124 yards away from Steve Ishmael's program record of career receiving yards. Harris was named to this year's Senior Bowl Preseason Watch List, along with the Biletnikoff Award Watch List, given to the nation's top wide receiver. Harris earned All-ACC third-team honors last season after finishing with 58 receptions for 733 yards and five touchdowns. Dino Babers even allowed Harris the opportunity to attend the ACC's media days last month, saying he's earned the honor after three productive seasons. Be on the lookout for Harris' production this season as he continues to climb the record books as the Orange's top option at receiver. - The Post-Standard

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WR Taj Harris, Rutgers
News Source: The Post-Standard
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08/26/21 - Peyton Powell, rSo/2024, Rutgers + More +

Peyton Powell's time at Rutgers has ended. Citing Rutgers University's COVID-19 vaccine mandate, the defensive back announced Tuesday that he has entered the NCAA transfer portal. Powell, a Texas native, transferred to Rutgers in December 2019. He did not see any playing time while with the program. "The University of Rutgers has made the COVID vaccine mandatory to attend school and play football, therefore I have no other choice but to enter my name into the transfer portal," Powell said in a tweet. Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said at the start of training camp that Powell was not a part of the Scarlet Knights' roster. When asked again about Powell's status following Monday's practice, Schiano said that nothing had changed at that point. Powell joined Baylor as part of the 2019 recruiting class, but then left the program before the start of the season. He initially committed to Utah before flipping to Rutgers. - Asbury Park Press

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QB Peyton Powell, Rutgers
News Source: Asbury Park Press
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08/18/21 - Shameen Jones, rSr/2023, Rutgers + More +

Shameen Jones was a largely-forgotten member of a perennially-underachieving position group when Greg Schiano was re-hired at Rutgers roughly 20 months ago. Most players would have been on the fast track for the transfer portal in similar circumstances. But when Schiano promised the entire program a blank slate, Jones took it to heart. "When I arrived here, the opinions of Shameen were not super high," Schiano said. "But I just watched him in our workouts until we got shut down, and I thought he did everything really well." Then the coronavirus pandemic hit. But Jones' momentum did not slow, even if Schiano could not see the progress. That realization did not come until the Scarlet Knights returned to campus after three months away, when the coach walked down the tunnel from the Hale Center into SHI Stadium and barely recognized the former Cardinal Hayes star.

Jones looked bigger and stronger. When drills began, he proved he was faster and better. A remarkable career revitalization was well underway. Jones managed just two catches for 15 yards on one of the most talent-challenged teams in school history in 2019, but he was Rutgers' comeback player of the year in 2020, hauling in 34 catches for 378 yards and three touchdowns while starting all nine games. Now the Scarlet Knights are looking for Jones' true breakout campaign as they aim to take the next step as an offense and earn a bowl bid for the first time since 2014. "This is the best football I've ever played," Jones said. "[Schiano] has always pushed me to a higher level, even when sometimes I'm not at the standard he wants me to be. He finds different ways to get things out of me, push me to go harder." - Star Ledger

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WR Shameen Jones, Rutgers
News Source: Star Ledger
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08/15/21 - Christian Izien, rSr/2023, Rutgers + More +

Rutgers is hoping Christian Izien can pick up where he left off last season. The Scarlet Knights safety is confident he will. The Queens native started all nine contests in 2020 and piled up 66 tackles to go along with three fumble recoveries. But the 5-foot-10, 200-pound Izien showed clear progress over the course of the season and racked up four interceptions in the final three games. Izien believes he can continue that momentum once this season starts. "Definitely better preparation of course, but some scheme things as well," Izien said following Rutgers' practice on Monday. "Some things we're going to go forward with this season, just to help the team overall, help me be in a better position to make plays."

He became one of the most impactful playmakers for Rutgers' defense toward the end of last season. Izien earned his first career interception against Penn State, then had another in the Scarlet Knights' win over Maryland before picking off two more passes in the season finale against Nebraska. His four interceptions ranked tied for third in the Big Ten and eighth in the nation. - Asbury Park Press

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SS Christian Izien, Rutgers
News Source: Asbury Park Press
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08/12/21 - Isaih Pacheco, Sr/2022, Rutgers + More +

Isaih Pacheco had no idea about Rutgers' recent history of producing 1,000-yard rushers. But the Scarlet Knights senior running back set the goal anyway. "Absolutely, it's one of my goals because I had 1,000 yards when I was in high school," Pacheco said following Friday's training-camp practice. "But that was as a quarterback. Now I'm looking at the running back standard." Still, Pacheco was unaware of just how rare of a feat it's been at Rutgers over the past decade. No Rutgers player has cracked the 1,000-yard rushing plateau since Jawan Jamison tallied 1,075 yards in 2012. "It is kind of hard to believe," Pacheco said. "I didn't do my research on it because I just put my head down and work. But that's my goal, and I know that I'm going to get it because how hard I've been working." Since 2013, only 10 of the current 130 FBS college football teams haven't had a player rush for 1,000 yards in a season, an NJ Advance Media statistical analysis revealed.

Joining Rutgers on the list are Akron, Duke, FIU, Kent State, Miami-Ohio, Purdue, Syracuse, UMass and Washington State. Still, Rutgers coach Greg Schiano insists that's not how he'll ultimately judge Pacheco's success this season. "He can have a great year and not rush for 1,000 yards and he can have a not-so-great year and rush for 1,000 yards. I don't know if that's the gold standard," he said. "I want to see him do what he's capable of doing. I thought at times last year he did. And other times not as much. "And some of it wasn't directly his fault. We have to do a good job up front, and he has to trust the plays and be patient with the plays. And when he does that I think he's a really big-time running back. Strong, explosive, fast, tough - (he) has all the tools. And I know our whole staff is looking for him to put it together on a consistent basis. We've all seen flashes. I'd like to see it on a consistent basis, because if he does he'll be as good as there is." - Star Ledger

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RB Isaih Pacheco, Rutgers
News Source: Star Ledger
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08/10/21 - Noah Vedral, rSr/2024, Rutgers + More +

Noah Vedral is not going anywhere. Rutgers' incumbent, no-doubt starting quarterback -- boy, is that strange to write -- made that very clear. He is back at full health to lead the Scarlet Knights' offense again this fall, he intends to return in 2022 for his final year of eligibility and he wants to keep playing after that if someone will pay him to do so. But when his cleats are finally hung up, he wants to be a coach. And he is dipping his toe in those waters this summer.

Vedral's focus during training camp is preparing for his second season at Rutgers, but he is also doing everything he can to bring along his young understudies, Evan Simon and Cole Snyder, as they battle for the backup job. "It's weird to say it's my fifth camp, but I have a lot of tips I've learned along the way. How to prepare, the time you should go to sleep, and to pass that stuff along is a lot of fun," Vedral said. "That's kind of why I realized I wanted to be a coach. I like doing that stuff. I like to share and see them use it and benefit. See them rise as a little tip here and there make their life easier, free them up to play faster. It's a lot of fun right now to be a mentor to them." - Star Ledger

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QB Noah Vedral, Rutgers
News Source: Star Ledger
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08/06/21 - Robin Jutwreten, rJr/2023, Rutgers + More +

Peyton Powell's Rutgers career may be over without a single regular season snap. The defensive back is not currently a member of the program, coach Greg Schiano said Wednesday after the first practice of training camp at the Marco Battaglia Complex in Piscataway. But Schiano did not rule out the possibility the Texas native could return at some point. Powell, who signed with Rutgers as a splashy transfer in Dec. 2019, did not appear in any games last fall. The former four-star athlete recruit from famed Permian High did see time at safety in May's spring game.

"Right now, he's not part of the team," Schiano said. "We'll see if he does become part of the team. But as we speak, he isn't on the roster." Schiano also announced nose guard Robin Jutwreten, who played in eight games last fall, has medically retired. He will remain with the team as a student assistant. And Temple defensive back Christian Braswell will not play this season after undergoing knee surgery. "It's a shame, because [Jutwreten] is a great person, a great hard worker," Schiano said. "He's going to help us as a coach and still be an important part of what we do." - Star Ledger

rJr/2023

DE Robin Jutwreten, Rutgers
News Source: Star Ledger
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08/06/21 - Johnny Langan, rSr/2024, Rutgers + More +

Johnny Langan is still listed as a quarterback on the training-camp roster distributed by Rutgers officials Wednesday. But the junior out of Bergen Catholic could've been listed the way some recruits are pegged when they arrive without a clearly defined position: as an athlete. "He's a quarterback but he's also a multi-positional player," Schiano said. "So he can line up at wideout, he can line up at tight end, he can line up at running back. In different packages he'll line up in different spots. That's a good weapon to have."

Take the opening day of Rutgers' camp for example: Langan took repetitions with the tight ends and, unlike the five other quarterbacks on the roster, he didn't wear a green (non-contact) jersey. "He's 'Johnny Offense," Scarlet Knights quarterback Noah Vedral said. "He's a really big tool for us so we want to use him. His role is as diverse as ever." After starting the final eight games at quarterback for Rutgers in 2019, Langan emerged as a jack-of-all-trades performer last season in offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson's scheme. In addition to throwing for 92 yards and two touchdowns on 10-for-13 passing, Langan rushed for a team-high four touchdowns and his 201 rushing yards were second-best on the team. And he tallied 10 receiving yards on two receptions. - Star Ledger

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FB Johnny Langan, Rutgers
News Source: Star Ledger
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08/05/21 - Olakunle Fatukasi, rSr/2022, Rutgers + More +

Not long after he took the Rutgers job in December 2019, Greg Schiano went to the film room for a scouting expedition. The purpose, the Scarlet Knights coach said, was to take a deep dive into his team's top players in order to figure out what his program needed longterm on the recruiting trail. One of the first players he studied was a weak-linebacker who finished second on the team in tackles in 2019. "I thought he closed the ground to the ball carrier very quickly. He had a good accelerator. There were some things we wanted to correct, some fundamentals, but overall we saw a very talented player," Schiano said. This was Schiano's first impression of Olakunle Fatukasi, who would end up leading the Big Ten in tackles last season. "He led the Big Ten in tackles but more than that he's a student of the game," said Schiano, whose Scarlet Knights held their first preseason-camp practice Tuesday in preparation for the 2021 season. "He's going to be a really, really fine professional football player because he loves it, he studies it, he lives the game, and takes care of himself the way that a pro football player takes care of himself. So he's a great example, not only his production on the field, but he's a great example for our younger players and for our newcomers that are just starting with us."

Schiano brought in more than two dozen newcomers as part of Rutgers' recruiting class this offseason. But he said "the biggest recruit we signed this year" was Fatukasi, who opted to return for his fifth-year senior campaign rather than enter the 2021 NFL Draft. "It wasn't a tough decision at all," Fatukasi said, reiterating the tweet he sent out to announced his return following his All-Big Ten campaign. "Unfinished business. I wanted to get better as a football player, I wanted to be a better leader, a better teammate, and know the playbook better. Still not done yet," the Scarlet Knight nicknamed "O3?" said. - Star Ledger

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ILB Olakunle Fatukasi, Rutgers
News Source: Star Ledger
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08/02/21 - Isaih Pacheco, Sr/2022, Rutgers + More +

There are two numbers to keep in mind when it comes to the Scarlet Knights' star running back: 1,000 and 461. The latter number is how many yards Pacheco needs to move into the top 10 of Rutgers' all-time rushing leaders. As for 1,000, keep in mind that no Rutgers running back has eclipsed the grand plateau since Jawan Jamison accomplished the feat in 2012. Pacheco, who enters his fourth year with 1,795 yards and 13 touchdowns, is looking to build on a campaign in which he ranked eighth in the Big Ten with 515 rushing yards. - Star Ledger

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RB Isaih Pacheco, Rutgers
News Source: Star Ledger
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08/02/21 - Mike Tverdov, rSr/2022, Rutgers + More +

A 6-4, 275-pound senior defensive end from Union, Tverdov enjoyed the best season of his career last fall, recording 10.5 tackles-for-loss. Included in that total was a three-sack performance in a win at Maryland, which made him the fourth player in program history to record three sacks in a game and the first since 2008. - Star Ledger

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DE Mike Tverdov, Rutgers
News Source: Star Ledger
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07/30/21 - Jovani Haskins, rSr/2022, Rutgers + More +

Greg Schiano believes Jovani Haskins could be on the verge of becoming an elite tight end. And Haksins is one of several tight ends who could help that position group improve considerably this season and potentially become an area of strength. Schiano said last week at Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis that the position group has "really developed." That could be a boon for the offense. "That's important because a tight end in an offense is always a quarterback's security blanket," Schiano said. "When you have a good one it becomes more than that: It becomes a weapon." Haskins, a Bergenfield product, leads that group as the veteran.

The 6-foot-6, 250-pound Haskins had six catches for 58 yards and two touchdowns last season, his first at Rutgers after transferring from West Virginia. He's also impressed Schiano with his blocking ability, a skill that he's continued to develop. Schiano believes he's "worked himself into what I think is going to be a big-time tight end." "He's in an offense now that can utilize all of his abilities," Schiano said. "He just needed to hone those abilities a little because he really hadn't accumulated cumulative repetitions at blocking. I think he's really a strong guy and he's really learned how to block. So he can be a valuable asset in all phases for us." - Asbury Park Press

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TE Jovani Haskins, Rutgers
News Source: Asbury Park Press
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07/28/21 - Noah Vedral, rSr/2024, Rutgers + More +

Noah Vedral's arrival to Rutgers came during a challenging situation. The ongoing pandemic limited how much the transfer quarterback from Nebraska could do with his new team over the summer. Then a condensed training camp before an arduous 2020 season added to the difficulty. Despite all of that, Vedral still managed to have a productive campaign, providing the type of stability at quarterback that Rutgers hadn't enjoyed in a while. Now Vedral is back as the starter and he's looking to build on what he accomplished in his inaugural season in Piscataway. That's meant ample film work and studying, spending a lot of time in the weight room and getting in plenty of work with the returning playmakers he has around him.

"Continue to further my knowledge of the offense is one," Vedral said Friday at Big Ten Media Days when asked what he's been focusing on over the offseason. "Anytime a quarterback knows more, I think a quarterback is more dangerous. "Continue in the classroom and understanding defenses in the Big Ten. Defenses are always shifting in football, so each year you're not going to see the same thing. So continue to stay current, stay up to date on what we're going to see each year, taking on film study work, film study projects throughout this whole summer, working our way up and down game tape, opponent tape, self scout and stuff like that." Vedral was solid in 2020, completing 136 of 221 pass attempts (61.5 percent) for 1,253 yards and nine touchdowns. He also rushed 68 times for 193 yards and one score. - Asbury Park Press

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QB Noah Vedral, Rutgers
News Source: Asbury Park Press
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07/28/21 - Taj Harris, rSr/2024, Rutgers + More +

Syracuse football was picked to finish last in its ACC division by conference media members. The dreary outlook is not a huge surprise. The Orange is coming off a 1-10 season, and oddsmakers' preseason win totals have been set around three wins. Syracuse was last picked to finish at the bottom of the division in 2018 when the team finished 10-3 and ended the year second in the Atlantic Division behind conference champion Clemson. - The Post-Standard

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WR Taj Harris, Rutgers
News Source: The Post-Standard
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07/27/21 - Noah Vedral, rSr/2024, Rutgers + More +

Rutgers coach Greg Schiano was sitting in his Columbus, Ohio, home in late April 2020 when one of his recruiting coordinators sent him a text. It was a video showing a 6-foot-1, 200-pound quarterback from the University of Nebraska who had submitted his name into the NCAA's transfer portal minutes before. It only took Schiano a few minutes to respond. "I watched it, I don't know, 180 snaps (and) I said, 'This is the guy. We have to get him. He's going to be perfect for what we do offensively,' '' Schiano said Friday at Big Ten Media Day. Of course, Rutgers did get Noah Vedral following a two-week courtship. And after watching the Nebraska native lead Rutgers to its best offensive showing in six years last fall, Schiano expressed no regrets to the decision. "Noah was a tremendous addition,'' he said. "He's been everything that we were looking for. He's a tremendous student of the game, No. 1. He can run our offense, can run the whole operation. We're a no-huddle outfit and he runs it seamlessly and I think having been in the system for a year it's going to be even better going forward."

It's why Schiano has all-but-anointed Vedral as his starting quarterback for the Scarlet Knights' season opener Sept. 2. Rutgers begins training camp Aug. 2, but Vedral is being prepped to engineer offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson's fast-paced spread attack for a second straight season. "There's a lot of responsibility with (being the No. 1 QB) but it makes you excited,'' Vedral said. "The preparation is the same. You treat everything like a competition. Every fall camp every job is open whether you're the favorite, the underdog, third-string or whatever. I think having been the guy who was the backup early in my career it's a really healthy mentality to take into camp - that I'm competing with everybody regardless of where I stand on the depth chart. That mindset of thinking every job is on the line really helps you elevate your game so you get the most out of your fall camp." - Star Ledger

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