PISCATAWAY, N.J. — So far this offseason, Rutgers football has had a nearly clean sweep of players deciding to return for the 2024 season. It is a testament, those players say, to the culture of the program at Rutgers.
Only defensive back Max Melton opted to start the process for the NFL draft. Outside of Melton’s decision, the overwhelming majority of the team’s senior core has opted to return.
This includes defensive linemen [autotag]Aaron Lewis[/autotag] and [autotag]Wes Bailey[/autotag], linebackers [autotag]Mo Toure[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyreem Powell[/autotag], running back [autotag]Kyle Monangai [/autotag]and offensive lineman [autotag]Hollin Pierce[/autotag].
For Monangai, the decision to return was one he weighed carefully. The Big Ten’s leading rusher, Monangai would have been a solid draft pick.
But he said there was “unfinished business” that remained for him at Rutgers. That desire to leave something behind at Rutgers, he believes, is the reason why so many players are returning for a last dance.
“I think it just speaks to our culture and this is not an easy place to play,” Monangai said after practice on Tuesday.
“Coach Schiano demands a lot of us but it’s rightfully – we know what we have to do to win here. And for that many guys, like I said, to want to come back – it obviously means we’re doing something right and that guys want to be here. It’s not like a burden or something. It’s a privilege to be able to wear the ‘Block R’ and to be able to represent our home state.”
It is a unique situation for Rutgers as the program – as of yet – hasn’t had any major losses in the transfer portal either. The program has seemingly done not only a good job of developing players but also building an understanding of patience.
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In the modern college game, players have a tendency to enter the portal very quickly if a pathway to playing time isn’t clear. At Rutgers, for the time being, that doesn’t appear to be the case.
Lewis, who had a solid season for Rutgers, could have started his NFL draft preparation and been a likely draft pick. Instead, he saw a return for one more year as the best path to take.
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“I think, you know, everybody just made a decision and God steered everybody in the direction in the right direction for them,” defensive end Aaron Lewis said last week.
“You know, there wasn’t really specific talks about everybody coming back. We obviously were friends, we talked to each other but no specific conversations. I think everybody just did what they had to do.”