Tag: Aron Cruickshank

Steelers sign another former Badger

Former Badgers wideout signs with Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are quickly becoming the “Pittsburgh Badgers” signing another former Badger athlete in wide receiver Aron Cruickshank on Monday.

Cruickshank was a member of Wisconsin’s football team from 2018-2019 before transferring to Rutgers. During his time in Madison, the 5-foot-10 athlete was mostly a return specialist.

In his two years with the Badgers, he combined to return 49 kickoffs for 1,207 yards and two touchdowns (both in 2019). Cruickshank also turned nineteen carries into 189 yards and two scores while reeling in four passes for 40 yards as well.

He will now join a Pittsburgh squad that includes former Badgers like T.J. Watt, Isaiahh Loudermilk, Nick Herbig and Keeanu Benton amongst others.

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Panthers work out former Bears WR Aron Cruickshank on Tuesday

Per Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 Houston, the Panthers worked out former Bears WR Aron Cruickshank on Tuesday.

The Carolina Panthers’ competition for punt and kick return duties took a hit last week, after speedster Damiere Byrd sustained a “significant” hamstring injury at training camp. So, they’re on the lookout for more challengers.

As first reported by Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston this afternoon, the Panthers worked out wide receiver Aron Cruickshank on Tuesday.

A Brooklyn, N.Y. native, Cruickshank played his first two years of college ball at the University of Wisconsin. He served primarily as a kick returner for the Badgers between 2018 and 2019, fielding a total of 49 attempts at an average of 24.6 yards per take with a pair of touchdowns.

Cruickshank moved on to Rutgers University for the last three seasons of his eligibility. In addition to taking on their return duties, he’d also see an expanded role on offense—reeling in 99 balls for 868 yards and five scores from 2020 to 2022.

The 5-foot-9, 165-pounder would then be signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in April. He was released this past Friday.

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Bears claim OL Logan Stenberg, waive WR Aron Cruickshank

The Bears are bringing in reinforcements on the offensive line ahead of their preseason opener.

The Chicago Bears made a roster move ahead of their preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans. The team announced they claimed former Detroit Lions offensive guard Logan Stenberg off waivers. To make room for Stenberg, the team waived wide receiver Aron Cruickshank.

Stenberg was a fourth-round pick of the Lions in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Kentucky. He played sparingly his first couple of years as a reserve before earning more reps this past season. Stenberg played in 16 games and started four of them at right guard.

After two consecutive starts early in the season, Stenberg was benched in favor of Evan Brown due to his struggles. He saw little playing time on offense after that and allowed two sacks and committed three penalties, earning a PFF grade of just 39.3. He was waived earlier in the week following a joint practice with the New York Giants.

Now Stenberg comes to the Bears to battle for a roster spot. With starting right guard Nate Davis and backups Lucas Patrick missing a handful of practices, the addition of Stenberg could indicate the Bears need reinforcements at the position. Second-year guard Ja’Tyre Carter has been taking snaps with the first-team offense as of late.

With Stenberg coming in, Cruickshank is on his way out. The undrafted free agent out of Rutgers made a couple eye-popping catches early on in camp but he was always a longshot to make the roster. He’ll look to catch on elsewhere with plenty of preseason left to go. The Bears begin their preseason slate of games against the Titans on Saturday at noon. CT.

10 Bears players to watch in the preseason opener vs. Titans

The Bears are set to take on the Titans this Saturday in the preseason opener. Here are 10 players to keep an eye on.

The preseason opener is finally here, marking another important milestone as we inch closer to the start of the regular season. The Chicago Bears are set to welcome the Tennessee Titans to town for the first look at the 2023 squad.

Though the starters on both sides of the ball likely won’t see more than a couple drives, the preseason will give everyone a chance to view veterans and rookies alike who are vying for a spot on the team. After all, it was this time last year that fans first got a glimpse at safety Jaquan Brisker and Jack Sanborn when they shined against the Kansas City Chiefs on the lakefront.

Who will stand out and make a name for themselves this Saturday? Here are 10 players to keep an eye on when the game kicks off.

Watch: Former Rutgers star Aron Cruickshank with an acrobatic catch at Chicago Bears training camp

Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver Aron Cruickshank, a former Rutgers standout, made an impressive play in training camp.

Aron Cruickshank is making an impression with the Chicago Bears. The former Rutgers football standout wide receiver pulled off quite the catch in training camp this week.

An undrafted rookie free agent, Cruickshank was one of the top special team performers in the Big Ten over the last three years. But the fact that he is making an impression on the offensive side of the ball is certainly promising for his chances to make an NFL roster.

Last season, Cruickshank posted a career-high in receptions (42) and receiving yards (385). He also had two receiving touchdowns for Rutgers. Through his three seasons at Rutgers, he averaged 23.4 yards per kickoff return.

A transfer from Wisconsin, Cruickshank has blazing speed and big play ability. He showed that with this acrobatic catch for the Bears in training camp:

 

At his Pro Day in March, Cruickshank ran a 4.45 time in the 40.

In terms of his ability to make the roster or be signed to the practice squad, it is encouraging to see Cruickshank make plays on offense. While special teams is likely his ticket to his NFL future. his ability to make plays as a wide receiver is certainly an added benefit to his resume.

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Naseim Brantley ranked among the top 20 wide receivers in the Big Ten

Naseim Brantley checks in as one of the Big Ten’s top ranked wide receivers.

Rutgers football seems to have landed an impact player in the Big Ten in Naseim Brantley. Brantley joins Rutgers via the transfer portal with the chance to be a top-tier wide receiver in the conference.

Brantley came to Rutgers this offseason at a position of need. He brings veteran experience and has the ability to be a game-changer for a Scarlet Knights offense that struggled last year.

An FCS All-American at Western Illinois, Brantley had 53 catches for 909 receiving yards with nine touchdowns last season. In 2022 against Minnesota, he had three catches for 50 yards and a touchdown in a loss at the Big Ten program.

In writing up his assessment of Brantley, College Sports Wire’s Patrick Conn ranked the Rutgers wide receiver as the No. 12 player at his position in the Big Ten:

“He was among the top receivers in FCS and was named Newcomer of the Year for the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Brantley looks to prove himself at the Power Five level with Rutgers, a team that scored just 17.4 points per game which ranked No. 124 in the country.”

Brantley will look to help Rutgers offset the loss in production with the graduation of [autotag]Aron Cruickshank[/autotag], [autotag]Shameen Jones[/autotag] and [autotag]Sean Ryan[/autotag].

There is talent and potential for Rutgers at wide receiver, but it isn’t necessarily proven. A lot will be expected of Rashad Rochelle, coming off a true freshman season where he played wide receiver, running back and special teams, has the potential to be a breakout player this fall for Rutgers.

To read the full list from College Sports Wire, click here.

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Rutgers football taps the Erasmus Hall pipeline, offers Lyrick Samuel

Lyrick Samuel is offered by Rutgers football on Wednesday.

Lyrick Samuel is the latest New York standout to be offered by Rutgers football. The Brooklyn wide receiver pulled in an offer from the Big Ten program on Tuesday night.

The talented wide receiver is projected to be one of the top three athletes in New York’s 2025 recruiting class.

Samuel counts Rutgers as his fourth Power Five offer, having already been offered by Michigan State, Penn State and Syracuse.

A 6-foot-4, 175-pound wide receiver, Samuel played for a powerhouse Erasmus Hall team that finished last season 10-2.

In a social media post on Tuesday night, Samuel announced the offer, tagging Rutgers defensive line coach [autotag]Marquise Watson[/autotag] along with head coach Greg Schiano:

 

Rutgers football is no stranger to Erasmus Hall with alumni such as [autotag]Aron Cruickshank[/autotag], [autotag]Christian Izien[/autotag] and [autotag]Sean Ryan[/autotag] among others having passed from Brooklyn to the banks of the Raritan.

Rutgers currently has the No. 22 recruiting class in the nation according to 247Sports and is No. 23 per Rivals.

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Watch: Johnny Langan gets into the endzone for Rutgers football

Rutgers football got within a touchdown late in the third quarter via Johnny Langan’s one-yard touchdown run.

Late in the third quarter, Johnny Langan ran one-yard for a touchdown that pulled Rutgers to down just a touchdown at Michigan State.

The Scarlet Knights and the Spartans traded touchdowns in the third quarter, which ended with Michigan State up 21-14. Rutgers has battled hard in this game to keep it close and competitive.

With 1:30 left in the third quarter, Langan, out of the Wildcat, ran one yard for the touchdown. It was Langan’s second touchdown of the season and his first rushing touchdown. 

The touchdown ended a nine-play, 69-yard drive that took 3:23 off the clock for Rutgers.

Two plays before, Aron Cruickshank took a reverse 25 yards and ran it to the one-yard line.

Here is Langan’s one-yard touchdown dive for Rutgers:

 

It has been a very good afternoon for Cruickshank, a senior wide receiver. Earlier in the touchdown drive, Cruickshank had a 28-yard reception on third-and-long to keep the chains moving for the Scarlet Knights.

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Rutgers went into halftime down 14-7.

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Watch: Ohio State’s Ryan Day, Rutgers’ Greg Schiano shake hands following heated end to game

Watch Ryan Day, Greg Schiano shake hands, have a moment following Rutgers at Ohio State.

The biggest buzz moment from Saturday’s Rutgers at Ohio State game wasn’t a highlight reel play but rather the interaction between Scarlet Knights head coach Greg Schiano and the Buckeyes’ Ryan Day.

Schiano and Day exchanged words in the fourth quarter of Ohio State‘s comprehensive 49-10 win over Rutgers. At issue was what appeared at the time to be a fake punt attempt from Ohio State’s Jesse Micro.

The punter was then hit out of bounds by Rutgers’ returner [autotag]Aron Cruickshank[/autotag], who was ejected from the game. This led to Schiano running from the sideline to separate his team from the Ohio State players.

Day and Schiano exchanged some words at the moment, but it never looked remotely likely that it was going to be anything other than that.

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After the game, Schiano downplayed the moment. The Rutgers head coach called Day a friend and said that the two coaches and their exchange of words were merely trying to protect their players.

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At the post-game handshake between the two coaches, it sounds like Day is saying “I apologize for that.”

 

After the exchange, Schiano patted Day on the back. Day and Schiano worked on the Ohio State staff under former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer. Then Schiano worked for Day in 2018 as defensive coordinator when Day was the associate head coach of the Buckeyes.

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Make sure to check out Buckeyes Wire for continued coverage of the Rutgers at Ohio State game:

Here are the best photos from Saturday’s Ohio State versus Rutgers game

Watch Ryan Day’s post-game press conference

Watch: Aron Cruickshank makes a beautiful touchdown catch while completely blanketed in coverage

Rutgers football got a touchdown on a nice touchdown link-up between Evan Simon and Aron Cruickshank.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — It took until the fourth quarter but Rutgers football found the endzone against Iowa. Evan Simon’s 18-yard touchdown link-up with wide receiver Aron Cruickshank making it a 24-10 lead for Iowa.

For a Rutgers offense that didn’t find the end zone last week in a 16-14 win at Temple, this was not an insignificant moment. And for Simon, this was important.

Simon threw a first quarter interception, a Pick-6, that set the tone early for Iowa. The Hawkeyes took the momentum of that play and scored 24 unanswered points against the home team.

His touchdown connection with Cruickshank was a nice bit of positivity during what was a difficult game at times for the quarterback.

Simon threw two interceptions against Iowa, who came into the game a bit lackluster and sluggish but appeared to turn the corner last week with a 27-0 win over Nevada.

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Check out Simon’s touchdown pass to Cruicskhank as the Rutgers wide receiver makes a nice catch and stays in bounds. Cruickshank was absolutely draped by Iowa defensive back Riley Moss on the play:

 

All things considered, Simon’s numbers weren’t all that bad. While the interceptions, both into double-coverage, were certainly poor he still was effective in moving the ball.

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At the time of his fourth quarter touchdown, Simon was 24-of-41 for 249 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.  He also had two rushes for 13 yards.

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