Tag: Al-Shadee Salaam

Rutgers football: What are the noticeable position changes for the Scarlet Knights this spring?

Rutgers football has some significant position changes for spring practice.

There are a couple of significant moves for Rutgers football heading into spring, with several players making position switches.

The biggest position change for Rutgers football is that punter [autotag]Flynn Appleby[/autotag] is not returning the program. Last season, Appleby was very solid for Rutgers, averaging 39.6 yards per punt.

Jacob Allen, Jake Eldridge and Joe DeCroce all have medically retired.

Other prominent position changes:

  • [autotag]Vilay Nakkoun Jr.[/autotag] (moves from wide receiver to defensive back)
  • [autotag]Jesse Ofurie[/autotag] (moves from wide receiver to defensive back)

One interesting note from the roster concerns [autotag]Isaiah Crumpler[/autotag]. The true freshman, who is enrolled early, is listed as a defensive back. When he signed with the class of 2024, Crumpler was listed as a wide receiver by the program.

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[autotag]Al-Shadee Salaam[/autotag], who moved from running back to defensive back midway through last fall, remains in the secondary. And there is [autotag]Kenny Fletcher,[/autotag] who moved from defensive end to tight end during bowl practice.

Fletcher remains at tight end on the spring roster.

Rutgers football: Best five wins of the season

During the 2023 campaign, Rutgers football gave fans plenty of reasons to celebrate.

During the 2023 campaign, Rutgers football gave fans plenty of reasons to celebrate. The Scarlet Knights finished with a 6-6 record and performed better in conference play. Although the last few years have been full of highs and lows, the program took a step forward.

While their success was a team effort, Kyle Monangai and Gavin Wimsatt became players to be reckoned with. Monangai was one of the best running backs in the conference with 1,099 rushing yards and Wimsatt added 1,651 passing yards to his resume. Due their play, the offense was no longer the achilles heel.

 

Like in years past, the strength of this team continued to be the defense. The Scarlet Knights finished the season with eight interceptions and 19 sacks. As a result, they played better against Big Ten teams.

While Rutgers still has one game left, the 2023 campaign was full of positives for this program. Below are the five wins that stood out the most.

Rutgers football: A midseason position change has now slowed down for Al-Shadee Salaam

Rutgers football defensive back Al-Shadee Salaam said a position switch came naturally for him.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — A position switch in college football is rarely easy. One done midseason is hard enough, but switching from offense to defense as Al-Shadee Salaam did is certainly an intimidating ask of any young player. But Salaam has seemingly taken to his new role for Rutgers football as he settles into the team’s secondary.

Salaam, recruited to Rutgers football as a running back as part of the 2021 recruiting class, seemed poised for a breakout season a year ago. In the 2022 season opener, Salaam ran 22 yards for the winning touchdown as Rutgers beat Boston College.

But in a deep backfield, touches were tough to come by and by the midpoint of this year, Salaam was transitioning from running back to defensive back. On the season, Salaam had six carries for 28 yards a touchdown before making the switch to the defense.

Saying that he likes the change and feels it is a good change, Salaam said that the move to the defense has been a natural one.

“I played corner in high school. So I’m like really comfortable with it,” Salaam told Rutgers Wire this week.

“I haven’t played it in a couple (of) years but basically I just want to help the team win. So wherever I can be at to help the team to win – that’s basically what I’m doing.”

In addition to having played cornerback in high school, Salaam is helped by the fact that he has been an important part of the Rutgers special teams packages, where he is used to tackling and hitting as a gunner.

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But he said that the running back position is a physical one, especially when dealing with blocking. That has been a help physically for Salaam as he now finds himself on the defensive side of the ball.

“So the running backs, we’ve gone against linebackers all day in practice so coming from running back to corner and going against receivers is a big change,” Salaam said.

“I mean, it’s not like the real big guys that *are) coming in. So I feel like my aggressiveness went up just a tad bit more. And just can’t wait to see what happens.”

Rutgers is participating in the Pinstripe Bowl against Miami (Dec. 28, 2:15 p.m. on ESPN). The extra 15 days of practice have been important for him as it is letting him settle into the cornerback position a bit more.

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Making the change midseason was rather chaotic, but he says these bowl practices in a way replicate training camp as he can get settled into the new role.

“It actually means a lot. I needed it. I feel it’s like – I changed in the mid-season – so no offseason,” Salaam said.

“Kind of hard just jumping right into it but I think I think I’m doing pretty good right now.”

Al-Shadee Salaam has moved positions for Rutgers

Rutgers football has a mid-season position switch.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Al-Shadee Salaam has made a position change for Rutgers football.

The former running back is now a defensive back, with head coach Greg Schiano confirming the move on Wednesday during his press availability. Bobby Deren of 247Sports was the first to report it on Saturday following a 52-3 win by Rutgers over Wagner.

Salaam, a junior, had six carries for 28 yards a touchdown this season. On Saturday, he registered two tackles as Rutgers improved to 4-1 (1-1 Big Ten) on the season.

Schiano explained the move and whether it was temporary or permanent.

“What’s permanent, right? Nothing’s permanent in life. But that’s where we’re headed with it,” Schiano said.

“Yeah, he’s gonna play corner. He’s learning the position as we go. And we have depth at running back and we thought he was too good of a player. So we made a change.”

Rutgers has three very talented running backs currently. Kyle Monangai is among the best running backs in the Big Ten through the first five games of the season and Samuel Brown V, who was very strong as a freshman last year, is also very much in the mix.

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Ja’Shon Benjamin, a true freshman, has also flashed multiple times this season. Benjamin is a former three-star running back out of Florida.

Al-Shadee Salaam preparing to build on his impressive sophomore season

Al-Shadee Salaam is looking towards a bigger role with Rutgers football this fall.

As Rutgers football prepares for the 2023 campaign, they will look to improve on offense. Last year, the Scarlet Knights struggled at times to put points on the board and as a result, they brought in a new offensive coordinator in Kirk Ciarrocca. In his first season in Piscataway, Ciarrocca will be looking to maximize his players’ talents, including Al-Shadee Salaam.

During the 2022 campaign, Salaam was a force on the ground. He finished third on the team in rushing yards with 238. The talented junior also found the endzone twice while averaging 3.7 yards a carry.

After taking a redshirt his freshman year, Salaam made the most of his opportunities. He proved to be a difficult matchup due to his ability to impact a game in multiple ways. While the Scarlet Knights battled injuries, he was a model of consistency and finished third on the team in carries with 57.

As the East Orange High School product prepares for his third season at Rutgers, he will be looking to build on his success. While Salaam mostly made an impact on the ground, he did make nine catches for 23 yards.

Although Salaam will have to battle for playing time, he showed last year that he can be a valuable piece. Having multiple playmakers is always a good thing and Salaam will be a player to watch after his success as a sophomore.

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Rutgers vs. Ohio State: Stream, injury report, broadcast info for Saturday

Rutgers takes on No. 3 Ohio State Saturday. Get the latest news, including where to watch the game

Rutgers plays No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

If you know anything about the history between these two teams, then you know Rutgers has been dominated every time they’ve taken on Ohio State. Do not expect a different result today. After starting the year 3-0 once again, the Scarlet Knights stumbled to start Big Ten play last week. They fell to Iowa 27-10 in a game that never truly felt that close. There is a clear gap in the level of talent between these two programs. Rutgers is in the early stages of a program rebuild. Ohio State is No. 3 in the country in every poll, is a perennial power house, and has future NFL players throughout their roster – including their bench. The Buckeyes have the leader for the Heisman Trophy under center and have one of the best recruiting classes each and every year. Expect this game to be over before the end of the first quarter.

Here’s when you should tune in to see the game:

  • Date: Saturday, October 1, 2022
  • Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: Big Ten Network
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)

Rutgers at Ohio State injury report:

Rutgers:

  • DL Mohamed Toure – Out for season (knee), QB Noah Vedral – Questionable (Undisclosed), LB Moses Walker – Out for season (knee), QB Gavin Wimsatt – Questionable (Undisclosed), RB Aaron Young – Questionable (Undisclosed)

Ohio State:

  • WR Kamryn Babb – Out indefinitely (Knee), CB Jordan Hancock – Questionable (Undisclosed), CB Lloyd McFarquhar – Questionable (Undisclosed), LB Mitchell Melton – Out for season (Knee), LB Teradja Mitchell – Questionable (Undisclosed), RB Evan Pryor – Out for season (Knee), TE Joe Royer – Questionable (Undisclosed), WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba – Questionable (Hamstring)

Players to watch:

Al-Shadee Salaam (Rutgers – RB): The sophomore running back has stepped up in a big way in the running back rotation. He has rushed 25 times for 145 yards (5.8 ypc) and two touchdowns.

Samuel Brown (Rutgers – RB): Many fans may not have expected to see this much of the true freshman out of Philadelphia this season, but injuries combined with a strong spring and strong showing in non-conference games have led to Brown being a staple in the backfield. He has 27 rushing attempts for 131 yards (4.9 ypc) and is also tied for the team lead with two rushing touchdowns.

C.J. Stroud (Ohio State – QB): If you aren’t familiar with how good Stroud is, just watch this game. He is going to pad his Heisman resume in a big way. He is tied for the No. 1 spot in the country with 16 touchdowns and just one interception. He has thrown for 1222 yards on 112 attempts and completed passes at a 70.5 percent clip. He has been exciting to watch and you’ll be watching him on Sundays next year.

Rutgers vs. Temple: Stream, injury report, broadcast info for Saturday

Injury report, key players, and how to watch Rutgers vs. Temple on Saturday September 16.

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights play the Temple Owls on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. ET, and if you’re wondering how you can watch the action live, you’ve come to the right place.

Rutgers is off to a 2-0 start for the second consecutive season after a dominating victory in Week 2 over an FCS opponent in Wagner. The Scarlet Knights were victorious 66-7 over the Seahawks. They were able to clean up some of the sloppy penalties and mistakes that led to their very tight Week 1 matchup against Boston College. Now they face off with the Temple Owls, a program they have a long history with, in a Week 3 tilt. The Scarlet Knights will look to match their start 3-0 start from 2021.

Temple is not much of a threat to prevent that from happening. They do sit at 1-1 on the season, but the expectations aren’t high on Broad Street in 2022. The Owls have not done much on offense this season. Defensively, they have been very strong on third down – holding opposing teams to a 16 percent conversion rate. Regardless, this should be a nice afternoon and come Sunday evening, the Knights should be 3-0.

Here’s when you should tune in to see the game:

  • Date: Saturday, September 17, 2022
  • Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: Big Ten Network (BTN), ESPN+
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)

Rutgers at Temple injury report:

Rutgers:

  • TE Matt Alaimo – Questionable (Undisclosed), DL Mohamed Toure – Out for season (knee), QB Noah Vedral – Questionable (Undisclosed), LB Moses Walker – Out for season (knee), RB Aaron Young – Questionable (Undisclosed)

Temple:

  • TE David Martin-Robinson – Questionable (Undisclosed)

Players to watch:

Al-Shadee Salaam (Rutgers – RB): Salaam was the Rutgers Wire player of the game on offense in Week 1 due to his impact on the go-ahead drive in the fourth quarter. In his first two collegiate games, the true freshman has two touchdowns on 13 carries, accumulating 122 yards on the ground. He has also added three catches for 43 yards so far this season.

Johnny Langan (Rutgers – TE): Langan is a former quarterback turned tight end. The New Jersey native has been a jack-of-all-trades for the Scarlet Knights, showing flashes in every aspect of the offense. Through two weeks, Langan has three receptions for 35 yards and a touchdown, seven rushes for 42 yards, and has thrown one pass that resulted in a 43 yard touchdown.

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