This past offseason was quite tumultuous for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Just before national signing day, the Knights found out that their long time HC, Greg Schiano had taken the HC position with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, leaving the program in the hands of Kyle Flood. Flood saved most of the schools commitments, but now has to focus on the new task of not letting Schiano's defection to the NFL hurt this program.
The first order of business for Flood will be deciding on a starting QB for this season. SO QB Gary Nova is very talented, but his accuracy is not so good, and he has show a propensity for turning the ball over. JR Chad Dodd had a bit more success last season, but I emphasize the word "bit". He also lacks the upside that Nova has. It will be interesting to see on who Flood settles with, but whoever gets the call will need to be careful with the football, and focus on upping their accuracy. At RB, Savon Huggins will get a second chance to prove he can be the feature back Rutgers thought they were getting when they recruited him. He had a dismal freshman campaign, eventually ending with him injured. He has immense upside though, so it will be interesting to see how he develops. At receiver, Rutgers has SR Mark Hamilton, who had a bad year last season, but a very nice year prior. He spent most of last year hurt though, so if he proves he can return to his '09 form, this could be a nice final year in Jersey for him. Also at receiver is SO Brandon Coleman. Coleman is big, fast, and strong. He has everything you want in a target, and could develop into a very dangerous threat this season, and possibly a nationally recognized receiver next year. Up front, the group only returns two starters from a year ago, but one of them, SO OT Kaleb Johnson was a Freshman All-American. He shows real promise, but the o-line as a whole may be a little of a question mark.
Defensively, this team is in great shape, with each defensive unit boasting a real standout leader. Up front that guy is SR DT Scott Vallone. At 6'3", 275lbs, Vallone is exceptionally fast, and he is an excellent tackler. He was hurt last season, and the team really missed his presence. If FR DE Darius Hamilton can live up to his lofty expectations, this team will have a very good front who can pressure opposing QBs while still holding up against the run. At linebacker, SR MLB Steve Beauharnais is a very nice ball player who has shown a good nose for the football. Even more special than him however, is SR OLB Khaseem Green. The converted safety exploded at his new position last year and picked up over 140 tackles. If he keeps developing, defensive All-American honors, and a top two round draft grade are both within reach. In the secondary, the team has a few very good players, but no one stands out more than JR CB Logan Ryan. Ryan is already getting attention as a possible first round talent should he come out early. Even better would be if he stays an extra year in school, and keeps improving. He has exceptional upside so it is hard to say how good he could become.
Rutgers has some very good talent in place, and some more that is ready to emerge. The biggest question mark will be what will the absence of Greg Schiano mean for this program. Maybe Kyle Flood can keep things moving, without even missing a beat. That is the goal. But it is no way a certainty. Once this team settles on a QB, they can focus on some of the weak points, and they could become a conference contender immediately.
No comments:
Post a Comment