PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Taj Harris and Sean Ryan fit in seamlessly to the Rutgers football offense on Friday night during the annual spring game. The two transfer wide receivers added a new dimension to an offense that at times last year was lacking explosiveness.
The integration of Harris and Ryan into the offense is going to be as important for the Scarlet Knights as the production from the quarterback position and the development of the offensive line. All three units were a question mark throughout last season.
And now after the spring game, it appears that the offensive line is improved from last season and that the wide receivers are certainly a more balanced group with the chance to be explosive. [autotag]Bo Melton[/autotag], likely to be taken on Day 3 of the NFL draft, was very good last year and Shameen Jones showed some flashes, but adding the two transfers will be a big help for Rutgers.
“I think they are really going to help us. You know, they come in, they join Shameen, and then a host of other guys,” head coach Greg Schiano said after the game.
“We lose a really fine player in Bo as he leaves for the NFL. And I think it’s really important that what we did through the portal, supplementing what we already have here. We have some young receivers that are going to be really good but they make take a little while to get there. To have some experienced guys on the squad now that, helps a lot.”
Ryan (a transfer from West Virginia) led the Scarlet team with four catches for 48 yards. The White team was led by Harris (a transfer from Syracuse) who had five catches for 49 yards, including a first quarter touchdown catch.
[lawrence-related id=15578]
Harris and Ryan along with Jones gives Rutgers some good talent at wide receiver. If [autotag]Aron Cruickshank[/autotag] can fully recover from his season-ending injury suffered last fall, then Rutgers will be able to go with multiple looks for whoever may be the starting quarterback.
It is a lot of speed on the field as well, something Rutgers has been lacking in recent years.
Lost in the buzz about Harris and Ryan from Friday’s scrimmage was the fact that wide receiver [autotag]Josh Youngblood[/autotag] flashed with two catches for 29 yards.
[lawrence-related id=15603]
An outstanding returner, Youngblood, a transfer from Kansas State, might be the fastest player on the roster.
[mm-video type=playlist id=01fc3gzhz7qrm49z6q player_id=none image=https://rutgerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]