PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Constant eating, plenty of strength and conditioning training and a new offensive line coach have all come together for Tyler Needham this spring.
A redshirt sophomore, Needham is coming off a 2022 season where he made six appearances. Now with that experience, the Rutgers guard is looking to take the next spring this spring.
And the offensive line could certainly use him as they continue to rebuild a unit that has struggled the past three years. If Needham can continue to grow and develop, it would be a big boost to the offense as a whole.
He has reshaped his body ahead of an important spring where he hopes to stake a larger role in the offensive line rotation.
“This is year three for me, so it is a big year for me. I mean, I can’t say much more than getting all these reps is so important,” Needham said.
“Just being able to get one percent better every day. That’s what I’m focused on.”
Coming out of high school, Needham was the No. 22 player in Pennsylvania in the class of 2021 according to 247 Sports. His other Power Five offers included Arizona State, Boston College, Maryland and West Virginia.
A big part of that is the work that Needham has done getting bigger, faster and stronger.
But before he could do all that, Needham had to do something that isn’t terribly common at the Power Five level for an offensive lineman. He had to slim down.
“Well, I came in (at) 280 (pounds), dropped down to 260 because it was just tough, it was hitting me like crazy,” Needham said. “So down to 260 and it took me a long time to get to 300. Finally, there now but the reshape was was definitely work.”
The other big factor for Needham in terms of his development is a new offensive line coach at Rutgers, the third position coach he has had since arriving on campus as many years ago.
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Pat Flaherty returns back to Rutgers after more than two decades in the NFL with stops that included the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers and Jacksonville Jaguars. He spent the largest part of that time with the New York Giants where he won two Super Bowls as their offensive line coach.
It is a resume that is certainly impressive and unique for a Power Five position coach.
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“A lot of experience. He always tells stories about you know, being with the Niners being with the Giants and with the Jags,” Needham said.
“And it’s good to hear because he gives little comparisons and you know, stuff that he’s learned from his past jobs is really important to hear.”
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