RUTGERS FOOTBALL

The latest news, updates and opinions

Saying he felt he "committed prematurely," Immaculata High School center Mark Brazinski -- rated the nation's 151st-best player by ESPN.com, announced Tuesday he had re-opened the recruiting process but that Rutgers was still in the mix.

The 6-3, 297-pounder from Basking Ridge gave Rutgers a non-binding oral commitment on June 10, choosing the Knights over Boston College, Penn and Florida State.

Brazinski said by phone that Rutgers, Penn and Boston College were still on his radar. He said he expected to take official visits to all three schools in December and would make a decision then.

Continue reading "Immaculata's Brazinski de-commits from Rutgers" »

Jason McCourty remembered looking around the room last year and seeing all of the fresh, new faces at the cornerback position and thinking -- someone's going to need to show these guys the ropes.

Turns out it would be he and his brother.

"Everybody that was coming up was young," McCourty said yesterday. "Pretty much everyone else was a freshman. We would be in the back of the room, trying to teach them. There were six or seven corner just starting out, with one year of experience."

Continue reading "Rutgers' McCourty twins help strengthen cornerback depth" »

NOTEBOOK

Kyle Flood has faced this sort of coaching challenge before -- though to a much lesser degree most seasons. In 2005, he had to find a starting center, no small thing for an offensive line coach. Other years, it has been plugging in a hole or two after losing a starter.

This time it's coming up with three new offensive line starters, including replacements for two tackles -- Jeremy Zuttah and Pedro Sosa -- that were among the best Rutgers has ever had.

The clock is ticking -- and it's only the whole season that depends largely on Flood retooling the offensive line as quickly, and effectively, as he possibly can.

Continue reading "Rutgers' Flood helping tackle holes on line" »

WESTMINSTER, Md. -- Late last week, as Ravens training camp plugged along, running backs coach Wilbert Montgomery suddenly found himself quite low on personnel.

Willis McGahee, the team's No. 1 ball carrier, was nursing an ailing left knee. P.J. Daniels, Allen Patrick and Cory Ross also were sidelined with injuries. In the middle of the hot, sticky, two-a-day grind, Montgomery had just two players in his backfield: fullback Le'Ron McClain and rookie running back Ray Rice.
"Ray, I feel for you, but we got nobody else," Montgomery remembered telling Rutgers' all-time leading rusher.

"Coach, don't worry, I got your back," Rice told him.

Continue reading "Former Rutgers star Ray Rice stepping up for debut" »

Opposing quarterbacks are officially on notice: George Johnson is finally healthy again.

"I've been waiting a long time for this," Rutgers' junior defensive end said after practice on Tuesday. "My first year I didn't have the experience. Last year, it was my back. That's behind me now."

Johnson has shown glimpses the past two years of the ability that made him the state's 17th-best prospect when he was a senior at Glassboro High School. But something has always seemed to get in the way to prevent the 6-4, 260-pounder from being the havoc-wreaking impact player he was supposed to be.

Continue reading "If Rutgers' George Johnson is healthy, QBs may become queasy" »

Rutgers announced this afternoon that it has hired Frank Edgerly to its football staff to become the new Director of Recruiting Operations. Edgerly, a former Scarlet Knights quarterback from 1992-93, replaces Dennis Scuderi who left to become the head coach at Absegami High School.

Edgerly comes back to Rutgers after spending the last nine seasons as the head coach at Red Bank Catholic, where he guided the Caseys to a share of two division titles and six playoff appearances.

Yesterday was like learning how to walk again for Anthony Davis.

There were moments where he knew what he wanted his body to do, but he'd slip into an old habit or form from last year. Thankfully, it was only day one of training camp.

"It's like I never did it before," Davis said. "In high school, playing left tackle is not like left tackle in college. You're going against the biggest and best in the game. It's just a whole different world."

Continue reading "Rutgers' Davis begins tackling new position" »

Sports Illustrated's preseason college rankings are online and Rutgers is No. 33. Cincinnati (27), South Florida (21), Pittsburgh (19) and West Virginia (14) are the Big East schools ranked ahead of Rutgers. Opening day opponent Fresno State is ranked No. 28 by SI.com.

Continue reading "Rutgers football ranked No. 33 by Sports Illustrated" »

Teddy Dellaganna had been crossing the dates off of his calendar, eagerly anticipating the first full practice of the season.

Tuesday was a day he'd been waiting for since he arrived at Rutgers before last season. Finally, he knows that he has the job of being the team's punter all to himself.

"I think I came out of (yesterday) alright," Dellaganna said after Tuesday afternoon's practice. "I'm feeling good. I think it'll be all right."

Continue reading "Rutgers not punting on Dellaganna" »

NOTEBOOK

One day after saying he thought incoming freshman Wayne Warren might be the only player who would be limited during preseason practice, Rutgers coach Greg Schiano added a second name to the list.

Promising true freshman defensive tackle Scott Vallone will be brought along slowly as he recovers from foot surgery.

That may be part of the reason that linebacker Blair Bines is being tried at defensive tackle -- along with true freshman linebacker Eric LeGrand.

Continue reading "Rutgers tackle Vallone will go slowly as foot heals" »

For most of his life -- and through travels that began in his native Dominican Republic, took him to Brooklyn for 10 years, then to Utah for two more before ending in Union City -- Manny Abreu was a superior athlete in search of sport. Basketball was his love until he showed up at Union Hill High School's football practice as a freshman. "The first time I put on pads I broke a starting cornerback's collarbone," Abreu said after Rutgers' first day of preseason practice yesterday. "I was playing tight end, did a drag route, caught the ball and he hit me and I ran him over. "That was it for him." Continue reading "Bulked-up Abreu poised to perform for Rutgers" »

St. Louis Rams running back Stephen Jackson's holdout is nearing the two-week mark with little or no progress being made, the Associated Press reports today.

That leaves second-year fullback Brian Leonard out of Rutgers and second-year backup running back Antonio Pittman getting the majority of work in the running game in camp.

Leonard, drafted in the second round by the Rams in the 2007 Draft, rushed for 303 yards on 86 carries in his rookie season. He is listed as the No. 1 fullback on the Rams' depth chart.

Pittman, a waiver pickup for the Rams last September after being drafted in the fourth round of the '07 Draft by the Saints, ran for 139 yard on 38 carries.

Here's some more tidbits from this afternoon's practice:

Continue reading "Dispatches from Rutgers practice, Pt. 2" »

Just got this memo from Rutgers' Jason Baum that all seven home games this season are sold out. That extends the sell-out streak to 17 consecutive games for the team, which is the longest streak in school history.

There is still a slight chance that additional single-game tickets may become available if visiting teams return a portion of their pre-determined allotment. However, away game tickets will be available to alumni and the general public beginning tomorrow at 12:01 a.m. at http://tickets.scarletknights.com.

A couple of quick notes midway through the first true practice of the season:

Continue reading "Dispatches from Rutgers practice" »

WESTMINSTER, Md. -- After an impressive first two weeks of training camp, former Rutgers standout Ray Rice officially got word that he'll be the starting running back for the Ravens' first preseason game Thursday, in place of injured teammate Willis McGahee.

While McGahee has been slowed by a knee injury -- head coach John Harbaugh said the plan is for him to take the next week to rest and get the swelling down -- Rice has wowed coaches, veterans and reporters alike with his shiftiness and NFL-readiness.

"He's a rookie, but, gosh, he's had a lot of carries his whole career," Harbaugh said of the team's second-round draft pick. "I'll be surprised if he's not up to the task."

Continue reading "Ray Rice named starting RB for Ravens' first preseason game" »

Forget the heat, the monotony, the nearly four-week grind that can wear both mentally and physically on a player. Kordell Young is eager to embrace all of it when Rutgers starts preseason football practice today. It's the only way, he figures, to answer once and for all the questions that have followed him for nearly a year now. When he turns on the TV Thursday, he will likely see Ray Rice, the running back he is trying to replace, starting a preseason exhibition game for the Baltimore Ravens. When he arrived at the Hale Center yesterday to report with the rest of his teammates, he did so toting a bulky brace. Continue reading "Kordell Young looking forward to performing well for Rutgers" »

ESPNU just announced its list of the top 150 recruits in the nation for the class of 2009 and Rutgers' quarterback recruit Tom Savage (Cardinal O'Hara H.S.; Philadelphia) is ranked 98th.

Savage is the only player from Rutgers' incoming 2009 recruiting class on the list.

Continue reading "Recruit Tom Savage ranked in ESPNU's Top 150" »

Caleb Ruch's natural strength was something that immediately separated him from Rutgers' other true freshmen offensive linemen a year ago. Now it's the stuff of legend -- at least to the folks who run the Athens Wesserunsett Valley Fair in Maine.

Ruch, who will open preseason camp Tuesday as the starter at right guard for the Knights, won the He-man competition at the Athens Wesserunett Valley Fair this summer, doing so on the strength of his times pulling a half-ton truck 30 feet with a harness, in the front-end tire flip, carrying rock-maple firewood and then excelling in the Farmer's walk, where he carried 75 to 80-pound weights 100 feet as quickly as he could.

Continue reading "Ruch's strength? His strength: OL won strongman event this summer" »

Some came back leaner - left tackle Anthony Davis, for one, reported in at 316 pounds (after doing so at 360 last year).

Others, like Mike Teel, looked sturdier.

Continue reading "Early impressions: Rutgers is looking good" »

Star-Ledger staff writer Tom Luicci poses eight questions the Rutgers football program faces as it prepares for the season.

Former Rutgers standout Ray Rice might get the start in his NFL debut for the Baltimore Ravens Thursday if ailing running back Willis McGahee can't play, according to the Associated Press.

McGahee's left knee is bothering him, so Rice could replace him when the Ravens meet the New England Patriots in the preseason opener.

"Right now, we need to get the fluid out of (McGahee's) knee and get that thing settled down a little bit," Ravens coach John Harbaugh told the AP Sunday.

Should McGahee be concerned about Rice? Former Raiders personnel executive and Sports Illustrated football analyst Mike Lombardi certainly thought so in June when he posted this on his blog.

Former Rutgers offensive lineman Jeremy Zuttah has drawn the attention of Tampa Bay Buccaneers coaches following an impressive first week of training camp.

Zuttah, the Bucs' third-round pick in April, has practiced at center and guard and could win a starting job, according to the St. Petersburg Times.

The secret to Zuttah's success thus far? His quick mind, apparently. The Tampa Tribune says Zuttah's mastery of head coach Jon Gruden's notoriously difficult playbook has been a key to his early camp achievements.

Rutgers is not among the top 25 teams in the nation in USA Today's preseason college football coaches' poll posted on the newspaper's web site earlier today, but the Scarlet Knights were 5th in the list of schools also receiving votes for the Top 25. Rutgers' opening day opponent, Fresno State, is No. 25 in the rankings. Continue reading "Rutgers football not among USA Today's preseason Top 25 teams" »

Bob Mulcahy, Rutgers' athletic director, told the Trentonian that he's surprised by recent news reports about football coach Greg Schiano's compensation. In an article from today's paper:

Mulcahy said recent revelations that part of football coach Greg Schiano's compensation comes from Nelligan Sports Marketing should not have come as a shock because the school's relationship with the firm had been previously documented.

Continue reading "Rutgers athletic director: Schiano, Nelligan relationship was well documented" »

The Star-Ledger's investigation of the hush-hush deals between Rutgers University and football coach Greg Schiano have spurred hundreds of comments from NJ.commers. Wednesday, an NJ.commer posted an opinion shared by some other comenters regarding The Star-Ledger's coverage of the story:

[Reporters Josh Margolin and Ted Sherman] have blatantly given the public the perception that Rutgers, Coach Schiano and Nelligan Sports Marketing are guilty of committing inappropriate actions. [Rutgers and Schiano] have done nothing inappropriate.

[snip]

The only thing I do agree with is that Rutgers should have disclosed all of the terms of Mr. Schiano's contract when it was signed. I believe they had, and have, nothing to hide, and the contract was designed to keep him at Rutgers in NJ. There is nothing wrong with paying him millions of dollars and giving him such lucrative perks as long as he delivered what he delivered. He has demonstrated that he is worth every penny. I'm sure Miami, Penn State and Michigan would agree!

Continue reading "Schiano scandal coverage sparks debate" »

Terrance Taylor, a 6-0, 175-pound safety from Archbishop Coleman F. Carroll in Miami, has made a verbal commitment to attend Rutgers as part of the recruiting class of 2009, the Miami Herald reported Wednesday night.

According to the Miami Herald, Taylor has other scholarship offers from the University of Central Florida, South Florida and Florida International.

Taylor, who has been timed at 4.6 seconds in the 40-yard dash and has a 31-inch vertical leap according to Scout.com, helped the Bulldogs advance to the Class 2A state semifinals last season.

NEWPORT, R.I. -- Part of Courtney Greene might have wished that he yesterday was spent elsewhere. Perhaps in a place like Bethlehem, Pa. or Davie, Fla. or Napa Valley, Calif. Places where other NFL rookies were in the processes of trying to make a pro roster.

Instead, the Rutgers senior safety was in a suit and tie in the ballroom of the Hotel Viking answering questions about why he decided to bypass playing on Sundays.

And his coach wouldn't have it any other way.

Continue reading "Rutgers' Greene still on board" »

NEWPORT, R.I. -- One half of West Virginia's offensive Batman and Robin is gone, but if there's one thing that we've seen lately, is that Batman does alright by himself.

With running back Steve Slaton off to the NFL, the Mountaineers are now at quarterback Pat White's direction. An early preseason Heisman Trophy contender, White has thus far been known more for his running ability than his arm.

However, under new head coach Bill Stewart, that might be about to change.

Continue reading "West Virginia's Pat White ready for change" »

NEWPORT, R.I. -- After last season, Cincinnati moved on as it thought that its quarterback, Ben Mauk had done the same.

Head coach Brian Kelly announced that backup Dustin Grutza would be the new starter. All seemed okay, but then came the news this offseason that Mauk was trying to come back for one more season.

Stop us if you've heard this one before.

Continue reading "Cincinnati faced with a potential QB crisis" »

Former Rutgers safety Ron Girault is working to make the Jets' 53-man roster, having been signed yesterday. He was peppered after practice at Hofstra University.

On if he remembers speaking to the Jets before the draft:

I had a visit here before the draft. They showed me around the facility. I spoke with the staff and the defensive back coach and the head coach. We had a good conversation. They let me know their thoughts on me and the situation that they were in.

On why he was released in Kansas City:

Everyone knows this is a business. Things did not work out numbers-wise, so they had to release me.

On how he handled being released by the Chiefs:

Anytime you get let go, it's a little disappointing. I didn't get my head down or anything like that. I knew there would be other opportunities to come and when the opportunity came I would just have to take it full stride and that's what I did.

Continue reading "Ex-Rutgers standout Girault determined to make Jets' roster" »

NEWPORT, R.I. - Position battles are what training camps are all about. When Rutgers begins officially practicing next week, there will be one battle that will be front and center.

With Ray Rice having bolted early for the NFL, the Scarlet Knights will begin camp without a definitive starter at the running back position.

However, there are no shortage of candidates, with four players all vying for the starting job. Kordell Young, Mason Robinson, Jourdan Brooks and Joe Martinek are all in the mix to take over the ball-carrying duties for Rutgers. The one problem is that none are long on experience.

Continue reading "Rutgers running backs ready to battle it out" »

NEWPORT, R.I. -- When the Big East's preseason rankings came out yesterday morning, the placement of one team left many scratching their heads: Pittsburgh.

The Panthers were picked to finish third in the conference, despite having a sub-.500 record last season. So why is everyone excited to pick Pittsburgh to finish in the top half of the league?

Simple -- they beat West Virginia to close out the season. But you won't find them resting on those laurels.

Continue reading "Behind McKillop, Pitt ready to take the next step in Big East" »

Sports Illustrated writer Stewart Mandel released a short list of sleepers and busts for the upcoming football season. As part of his college football mailbag column, Mandel ranked Rutgers number one on the list of Three That Could End Up In The Top 15.

Continue reading "Rutgers football tagged top sleeper team in the nation" »

ESPN.com bloggers rate how hated each college football team is in each conference and Tuesday was Big East Hate Meter Day. Blogger Mark Schlabach rated West Virginia the most hated team and Rutgers No. 2, saying:

How can fans not hate a team from Piscataway, N.J.?

Wow, that smells like a shot at Jersey. Mark, what did we ever do to you anyway?

Continue reading "Rutgers 2nd-most hated team in Big East, blogger says" »