Rutgers football Robert Longerbeam has been an active contributor for the Scarlet Knights over the past three years. In 2020, the Rutgers cornerback saw his first game action. Since then, the Virginia native has become a significant part of Rutgers’ defense.
Last season, Longerbeam was a key piece of Rutgers’ defensive improvements. The Scarlet Knights finished the 2022 season allowing a decade-best 349.8 yards per game. The pass defense stood out the most, allowing 28.1 fewer yards a game than the year prior. As for Longerbeam, he was the Scarlet Knights’ most significant contributor on defense.
Longerbeam finished the 2022 season with 36 tackles (career high), six pass breakups, four tackles for loss, and two interceptions in ten games. The 5-11 170-pound cornerback has appeared in 28 games for his career, recording 48 total tackles, two interceptions, 18 pass breakups, and three force fumbles. Now entering his fourth season with the Scarlet Knights, can head coach Greg Schiano lean on the cornerback to be one of their defensive leaders?
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“Longerbeam has been (doing) very well in terms of taking ownership and actually taking that (next) step as far as being a leader,” cornerbacks coach Mark Orphey told reporters this week. “We’re a better team when we have him out there.”
The Scarlet Knights lost several vital defensive contributors from last year, but Longerbeam joins Max Melton as two of the main contributors coming back this season.
The two defensive backs finished the 2022 season with a combined 16 pass breakups, four interceptions, and four tackles for loss. The cornerback group has benefited from their returning experience, providing leadership on and off the practice field.
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