PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Last year saw, sophomore linebacker Tyreem Powell breakthrough with Rutgers football. It is an upward trend for the talented linebacker as he has continued that development this spring.
Last season, Powell took a massive step forward as a sophomore, registering 70 total tackles along with three sacks and four passes defended. He stepped forward into a big role last spring when starter Mohamed Toure went down with an injury, followed by four-star true freshman Moses Walker.
Now with last year’s experience, Powell factors into a two-deep at linebacker that is impressive. Linebackers coach Corey Hetherman, now in his second season with the program, believes that this spring has seen Powell take yet another step forward in his development.
“You know, I think our strength coaches have done a really good job in the weight room continuing to put more weight on him. Continue to get him a little bit bigger, get him bent a little bit better,” Hetherman said on Thursday.
“And then his confidence, you can see his confidence level, his leadership his communication. And then really being year two in coach Harasymiak’s defense (defensive coordinator Joe Harasymiak)…you know, you can see that confidence and that trust have really taken the next step, and it’s elevated.
“And I think that’s been the number one thing with ‘Reem – he goes out, he takes the field – he’s more confident with his calls, his eyes are better, his pad levels are better. He’s playing a lot faster right now going into year two.”
Hetherman said that the experience picked up last year by Powell and fellow linebacker Deion Jennings (87 total tackles) is “huge” for his group as they look to build up in 2023.
“You go into a season where guys really weren’t playing a ton the year before. And now last year, they step up and they fill those roles. You know, early on in camp, there were a lot of situations they weren’t prepared for and they really didn’t handle very well and they started to learn and then build and they took those reps and they took it from the film room, they took it from the meeting room, and they put it in practice and as we went through the season, I thought those guys improved every single week,” Hetherman said.
“We took steps as we get to the games…those guys really ‘Chopped’ and really worked at it and I thought it showed on the field as they communicated much better. They put themselves in positions to really make those plays and help the defense.”
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