PISCATAWAY, N.J. — There will be a last dance for Kyle Monangai with Rutgers football. One more season in the Big Ten, Monangai said, with the chance to leave something of significance with this program.
Monangai announced on Monday that he is returning in 2024 for a final season at Rutgers. This past season was a breakout for Monangai as the Rutgers running back led the Big Ten in rushing yards (1,099).
Monangai said his return was made based upon weighing the option to go to the NFL as well as his desire to help the Rutgers rebuild take its next step as a program.
There hasn’t been a bigger voice this season about the direction of Rutgers under head coach Greg Schiano than Monangai.
“I just think you know, 6-6 with an opportunity to go 7-6 (and)have winning record hasn’t been done a while but that isn’t our end goal,” Monangai said following practice on Tuesday.
“Our goal wasn’t to be just seven and six you just wanted to win more games. So like unfinished business…just to go out with a bang in all of our last year eligibility, the guys in my class and to leave this program with something meaningful.”
The return of Monangai can not be understated for Rutgers football, both in the immediate in terms of their upcoming bowl game but also next year. Looking ahead to 2024, it is a huge boost for Rutgers that they are returning much of their core.
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Already, defensive linemen [autotag]Aaron Lewis[/autotag] and [autotag]Wesley Bailey[/autotag] as well as offensive lineman Hollin Pierce are notable returnees. Now with Monangai returning, Rutgers is returning nearly all of their star players who paced the team this past season.
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For Monangai, his return to Rutgers was weighed against a potential move to the NFL. As the Big Ten’s leading rusher, he likely would have been drafted.
“I was contemplating it for a while I actually didn’t come to a real, true final decision probably until this past weekend,” Monangai said.
“So you know, everything’s kind of been up in the air up until then. I’ve been trying to gain all the facts and you know, make the best possible choice.”
Scroll down and check out some of the best photos of Kyle Monangai from this year as the Rutgers running back ran his way to the Big Ten rushing title!