Tag: Hollin Pierce

Rutgers football: Five Scarlet Knights earn spot on Phil Steele All-American List

Rutgers football sees five named to the Phil Steele Preseason All-American list.

With the college football season quickly approaching, the latest Phil Steele preseason All-American list was released this past week. Rutgers was well represented, with five players selected.

The list of Rutgers football players named to the list included running back Kyle Monangia, linebacker Mohamed Toure, offensive lineman Hollin Pierce, and defensive backs Flip Dixon and Robert Longerbeam.

Expectations are higher for every player on this list, including Monangia, who is coming off a stellar season. During the 2023 campaign, he recorded seven 100-yard games and led the Big Ten in rushing with 1,262 yards. He also scored eight touchdowns and was arguably Rutgers‘ best player on offense.

 

While Rutger’s star running back frustrated defenses, Toure made life hard for quarterbacks. After missing the 2022 season, he played in all 13 games and finished second on the team in tackles with 93, including 9.5 for a loss. Due to his play, Toure was named a Comeback Player of the Year semifinalist.

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As Toure was a human highlight reel, he got some help from Dixon and Longerbeam. In his first season with the Scarlet Knights, Dixon started all 13 games, recording 76 tackles. Longerbeam made his presence felt in the passing game as he was one of two players in the Big Ten with double-digit pass breakups.

Rounding out the list is Hollin, who has been a model of consistency on the offensive line. He has started 37 consecutive games, the longest active streak on the roster. He was also rated the sixth-best tackle in the Big Ten by Pro Football Focus.

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After winning their first bowl game in a decade, Rutgers football has high hopes for the 2024 campaign. They are also receiving more national attention which was on display in Phil Steele’s list. If this group can meet expectations then Rutgers will be a lot of fun to watch.

Rutgers Hollin Pierce earns spot on On3 “Top 100 Players in College Football”

Hollin Pierce named among the top 100 players in college football.

Over the last three years, Hollin Pierce has been a mainstay on the Rutgers football offensive line. Due to his play, he enters the 2024 campaign with high expectations after being named the No.98 best player in the country on the On3 Top 100 Players in College Football list.

Since making his college debut in 2020, Pierce has been a model of consistency. He has started 37 consecutive games, the longest active streak on the Rutgers roster. After starting all 13 games during the 2023 campaign, the Trenton Central High School (Trenton, New Jersey) product was rated the sixth-best returning tackle in the Big Ten by Pro Football Focus.

While Pierce’s impact is not reflected in a box score, he helped Rutgers’s offense take its game to another level last season. With Pierce in the lineup every week, Rutgers led the league in the fewest sacks allowed per game (1.08) and ranked fifth in rushing yards per game (168.7). In the Scarlet Knights’ first bowl win in over a decade against Miami, they did not allow a sack. 

 

Although the offense will have several new faces in 2024, having Pierce back in the mix is a big plus for Rutgers. He has made the offensive unit better and proven that he can be relied on. To those in Piscataway, his latest recognition comes as no surprise.

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With the start of the season only months away, Rutgers has plenty of work to do to show that last year’s success was no fluke. With Pierce leading the offensive line, at least one unit is in good hands and getting the recognition it deserves.

With a desire to continue his development, Hollin Pierce’s return to Rutgers football was ‘a very easy decision’

Rutgers football’s Hollin Pierce is hoping to refine his development in his final season.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — For Hollin Pierce, this last dance with Rutgers football is a chance to help the program take the next step in its rebuild. It is also ao opportunity for the All-Big Ten left tackle to take one more season to learn and develop.

Pierce’s story, from junior college to walking on at Rutgers to eventually becoming one of the Big Ten’s top offensive tackles, is an inspiring story. But there is a final chapter for Pierce to write at Rutgers, one that he hopes leads him to the NFL draft in a year’s time.

Had Pierce decided to enter the NFL draft following last year, there was a very real chance that he would have been drafted in late April.

In deciding to return to Rutgers, Pierce cites the continued progress he wants to make with his game. Getting another chance to learn and play for offensive line coach[autotag] Pat Flaherty[/autotag] factored into his decision to suit-up for Rutgers one more season.

“It was very easy to come back. I saw how much I developed, especially when a coach Flats came over,” Pierce said on Tuesday.

“I saw my development and it was like night and day looking at my past film. And I just knew I needed more time to work and just get better each and every day, you know? So it was a very easy decision.”

Pierce’s development is legendary, both on and off the field. His fitness and gains in the strength and conditioning program are the stuff of legends around Rutgers, including a massive loss in weight.

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But while Pierce checks in at a very healthy weight and has learned to better manage his diet, there is fine-tuning to his game that continues. A final season against Big Ten competition will his better his NFL draft stock for next spring.

So will another full offseason learning from one of the best offensive line coaches in college football.

Enter the aforementioned Flaherty, a veteran offensive line coach who returned to Rutgers last year. With over two decades in the NFL, Flaherty’s resume speaks for itself.

Listening to Flaherty and his NFL experience, including lessons from his two Super Bowl rings with the New York Giants, is part of the process.

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So too is continuing to work on his agility and strength.

“Last year at this time, I would say I definitely wasn’t as strong as I am now. That’s like a big thing,”  Pierce said.

“I was working on strength and like I said before, just you know, getting lower, just working on my bending. That’s just like a big thing. I probably am going to be working on bending for the rest of my career, to be honest. But that for sure is what I’m working on this stuff like that.”

Following two decades in the NFL, Pat Flaherty didn’t change his coaching style at Rutgers

Pat Flaherty says he coaches Rutgers football the same way he did his NFL players.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The success that Pat Flaherty had as Rutgers football’s offensive line coach last year can be attributed to one simple truth: He coaches all of his players the same throughout his four decades on the sidelines.

It was a tremendous job undertaken by Flaherty last season in turning around one of the worst offensive lines in college football. Rutgers ended up finishing middle of the Big Ten in most of the significant offensive categories, representing a huge step forward in the offense’s ability to function.

And it was the play of the offensive line in protecting quarterback [autotag]Gavin Wimsatt[/autotag] as well as paving the way for running back [autotag]Kyle Monangai[/autotag] that doesn’t get enough attention for a season where Rutgers finished 7-6 and beat Miami in the Pinstripe Bowl.

The improvement is noticeable, especially to those who have been embedded in the program for a while.

“I mean a lot better. A lot of guys – we have talent across the board on the o-line. Just the way we work. We work hard. Everybody’s working at things they need to work on. We’re a tight group,” senior left tackle Hollin Pierce said on Tuesday during media availability.

“We’re a tight group. I think we’re going to be a lot better.”

The impact of Flaherty on the group is clearly seen in the increased performance.

With two decades of NFL coaching experience to his resume, Flaherty has considerable clout. His two Super Bowl rings from his time with the New York Giants give him a certain cache that few college coaches have.

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When Flaherty speaks to his players, some of whom are teenagers, he point to a career that includes turning offensive linemen into All Pro players. But the biggest part of his success, he says, is found in not changing things whether he is coaching at the college level or the NFL.

“I coach these guys like any group I’ve ever coached in my career, NFL college – football is football. From that standpoint, they do a great job of wanting to learn the techniques,” Flaherty said on Tuesday.

“You know, I feel that again, they will be the best group that they can by doing the training that we can.

“And you can say, ‘Well, you can train this way in the NFL, train this way in college. I don’t believe there’s a difference in training the players.”

Off the field, the group is developing in a way that is making them a more cohesive unit. As Pierce explains it, the line is now acting as one, even away from the practice field and the team facility. It is creating a level of cohesion that wasn’t present in the year prior.

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“Since I started till now, the group’s completely different,” Pierce said.

“How we care about each other, everything we do with each other, we go out with each other. On the field, we’re always looking out for each other. Just the whole intentions of our goals and what want to do is completely different and just how we approach the field.”

Rutgers football offensive line coach Pat Flaherty is unbending in his pursuit of perfection

Rutgers football offensive line coach Pat Flaherty may be old school, but he has the attention of his players.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Even now well into his fourth decade of coaching, pat Flaherty still has pep to his step. The Rutgers football offensive line coach has seen it all and coached it all.

And perhaps most importantly for his players on the Rutgers offensive line, he has won it all.

This time a year ago, Flaherty was the only certainly in a room full of question marks. With two decades of experience as an offensive line coach in the NFL, and two Super Bowls to validate his resume, Flaherty is arguably the most accomplished offensive line coach in college football.

Replace ‘offensive line coach’ with ‘position coach’ in the previous statement and it still might ring true. Simply put, Flaherty’s resume is likely unmatched in college football, regardless of position.

But even with a storied career, no one expected Flaherty to work a miracle like he did last year.

He inherited a unit that was, arguably, the worst in college football for much of the last decade. The Rutgers line struggled at times against Group of Five schools let alone in the Big Ten.

Fast forward a year and Flaherty’s yeoman-like work was a major reason why Rutgers finished the season 7-6 and won the Pinstripe Bowl against Miami.

But last spring, there were no sure things about the offensive line. Just surety from Flaherty for the group to trust his experience.

“The offensive line last year – we started off just kind of feeling our way as a group. From day one, you know, they’ve been really locked into meetings, they want to learn, they want to learn the different techniques that we’re teaching them,” Flaherty said.

“And now it’s as a coach, it’s your job to make sure that we’re doing it with consistency day in and day out. And that’s the hardest thing for any football player is to be able to come off and just do everything and – they feel that they’re straining, but they can always strain more. And as an offensive line coach, we always preach that you can never strain enough, right? You always play it longer than your defender is what we talk about.”

Flaherty speaks with a clarity and conviction that belies the simple belief in his methods. Improvement is made, he says, through practice.

It doesn’t matter where a player is at in his career, whether college or the NFL, the art of improvement is found in repetition.

Flhaerty’s career began in 1978 at McLone Catholic High School in McSherrytown, Pennsylvania. Within two years, he was coaching the offensive line at East Stroudsburg University. The following years would see him stop at Penn State and Rutgers for seven years, before making stops at East Carolina, Wake Forest and then in 1999 for a season at Iowa.

By 2000, he was in the NFL with the Washington Commanders where he was a tight ends coach. He would end up spending over two decades in the NFL as a position coach, but he is best known for his time with the New York Giants.

Hired by the Giants in 2004, he would spend 12 years with the organization. He turned around a terrible offensive line into a group that won two Super Bowls protecting Eli Manning.

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He earned the respect of the Giants locker room with his attention to detail. He didn’t have to do much to earn the respect of his players when he arrived at Rutgers, where he had worked as a consultant prior to being named the offensive line coach last year.

The players stood and applauded when he got the job.

“The first thing that came out of my mouth, I said be ‘Be careful what you wish for.’ Have they adapted to me? I don’t know if they’ll ever adapt to me,” Flaherty said.

“Listen, as the years go in coaching, we are teachers – it is listen to the corrections, don’t listen to the tone of the corrections.”

His players refer to him lovingly as “old school” but there is a reason why Flaherty stays with the tried and true: It works.

And it has them coming back for more.

For Hollin Pierce, he returned to Rutgers for a final season despite being talked about as a potential selection in this spring’s NFL draft. The All-Big Ten left tackle said he decided to return to Rutgers to fine tune his game and get one more season under Flaherty’s guidance before heading to the NFL.

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Part of the charm for the linemen like Pierce when it comes to Flaherty is that he can rely on his experience and cite certain examples from the NFL in coaching up their individual play.

“It’s very impactful – you know, coach Flats he’s been coaching for so many years. So the stories that he’s telling us – when he’s sharing this knowledge with us it’s incredible because it’s like he just opened up my eyes or something,” Pierce said on Tuesday.

“I just never saw it that way before. I never knew how that worked like that. And it just helps so much.”

Make sure to follow Kristian Dyer for Rutgers news and information on X: @KristianRDyer 

Aaron Lewis and Kyle Monangai lead a strong returning core for Rutgers football: ‘This is not an easy place to play’

Rutgers football’s senior relish to chance to return in 2024.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — So far this offseason, Rutgers football has had a nearly clean sweep of players deciding to return for the 2024 season. It is a testament, those players say, to the culture of the program at Rutgers.

Only defensive back Max Melton opted to start the process for the NFL draft. Outside of Melton’s decision, the overwhelming majority of the team’s senior core has opted to return.

This includes defensive linemen [autotag]Aaron Lewis[/autotag] and [autotag]Wes Bailey[/autotag], linebackers [autotag]Mo Toure[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyreem Powell[/autotag], running back [autotag]Kyle Monangai [/autotag]and offensive lineman [autotag]Hollin Pierce[/autotag].

For Monangai, the decision to return was one he weighed carefully. The Big Ten’s leading rusher, Monangai would have been a solid draft pick.

But he said there was “unfinished business” that remained for him at Rutgers. That desire to leave something behind at Rutgers, he believes, is the reason why so many players are returning for a last dance.

“I think it just speaks to our culture and this is not an easy place to play,” Monangai said after practice on Tuesday.

“Coach Schiano demands a lot of us but it’s rightfully – we know what we have to do to win here. And for that many guys, like I said, to want to come back – it obviously means we’re doing something right and that guys want to be here. It’s not like a burden or something. It’s a privilege to be able to wear the ‘Block R’ and to be able to represent our home state.”

It is a unique situation for Rutgers as the program – as of yet – hasn’t had any major losses in the transfer portal either. The program has seemingly done not only a good job of developing players but also building an understanding of patience.

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In the modern college game, players have a tendency to enter the portal very quickly if a pathway to playing time isn’t clear. At Rutgers, for the time being, that doesn’t appear to be the case.

Lewis, who had a solid season for Rutgers, could have started his NFL draft preparation and been a likely draft pick. Instead, he saw a return for one more year as the best path to take.

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“I think, you know, everybody just made a decision and God steered everybody in the direction in the right direction for them,” defensive end Aaron Lewis said last week.

“You know, there wasn’t really specific talks about everybody coming back. We obviously were friends, we talked to each other but no specific conversations. I think everybody just did what they had to do.”

Rutgers football: What NFL scouts are at SHI Stadium for the game against Wagner?

Three NFL teams are in attendance on Saturday for the game.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. —  Three NFL teams are in attendance on Saturday for Rutgers football’s game against Wagner.

This marks the last non-conference game for Rutgers football this season. The Scarlet Knights are 3-1 (1-1 Big Ten). They lost last weekend at No. 2 Michigan.

Rutgers has several players who can and should get legitimate NFL buzz. The notable names on defense are edge [autotag]Aaron Lewis[/autotag] and defensive back [autotag]Max Melton[/autotag].

On offense, left tackle [autotag]Hollin Pierce[/autotag] and wide receiver [autotag]JaQuae Jackson[/autotag] have the potential to be playing in the NFL.

The three NFL teams in attendance for the Rutgers game at SHI Stadium:

  • Atlanta Falcons
  • San Francisco 49ers
  • Washington Commanders

The 49ers are represented by Tariq Ahmad, their director of college scouting. He joined the 49ers in 2014; prior to that time, he was with Rutgers football for seven years.

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He spent his last four years at Rutgers as the director of football recruiting operations.

What NFL teams are at the Rutgers football game against Norhwestern?

Four NFL teams are in attendance for Sunday’s Big Ten opener for Rutgers football and Norhwestern.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Rutgers football kicks off the 2023 season on Sunday at SHI Stadium when they host Northwestern. Four NFL teams have sent representation to be at the game.

Scouts from the Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Washington Commanders are all in attendance for what is the Big Ten opener for both teams.

Notably, Terry Bradway, the former New York Jets general manager who is now working for the Carolina Panthers, is present at the game.

Rutgers have several players with NFL draft potential. Defensive end [autotag]Aaron Lewis[/autotag], who made a splash at Big Ten Media Days, leads a group on defense that is athletic and talented. Lewis is looking to build on a strong 2022 season and cement himself as a top 100 selection in next spring’s draft.

Also very much in the mix on the defensive side of the ball to make the NFL are defensive back [autotag]Max Melton[/autotag] and linebackers [autotag]Tyreem Powell [/autotag]and [autotag]Mo Toure.[/autotag]

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On offense, left tackle [autotag]Hollin Pierce[/autotag] as well as wide receivers [autotag]Naseim Brantley [/autotag]as well as [autotag]JaQuae Jackson[/autotag] should all register strong NFL interest.

Hollin Pierce ready to lead the Rutgers offensive line

Hollin Pierce is developing and taking another step forward.

Over the last two years, Hollin Pierce has been a consistent presence on the Rutgers offensive line. In that span, the Trenton native has made 24 starts after beginning his college career as a walk-on. Now, he will be tasked with leading the Rutgers O-line, as his play has earned him national recognition.

Earlier this week, Pierce was named to the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch List. For the talented junior, it was another example of how his hard work has paid off. In 2022, he was a candidate for the Burlsworth Trophy, which honors the most outstanding football player who began their career as a walk-on and has shown outstanding performance on the field.

During his time at Rutgers, Pierce has been successful due to his hard work. He has lost over 130 pounds from high school and molded his body into one that is a force against the best college athletes in football. That dedication has also translated to the classroom.

“I mean one thing you know (that the) coaches always emphasize to us is grades, ” Pierce told Rutgers Wire this August. “Football is obviously a priority but grades always come first, and I realized coming from a prep school and stuff. – college is going to be challenging. But you know, you got to put the time in in the classroom just like you do on the field.”

With many faces from last year’s team returning, the Scarlet Knights will look to build on their success. That will start with the offense and the play of Pierce.

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A redefining journey, Hollin Pierce has been shaped and changed on and off the field at Rutgers

Hollin Pierce hasn’t just reshaped his body at Rutgers. He has become a better, more focused student too.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — The story of Hollin Pierce’s physical transformation from high school to the Big Ten is the stuff of legends around Rutgers football. But not as well known is how Pierce changed himself in the classroom and has embraced what it truly means to be a student-athlete.

Pierce is projected to be one of the starting offensive tackles for Rutgers this season. While the offensive line has struggled over the past three years, Pierce has steadily and doggedly improved and grown.

This offseason, he was named to the watchlist for the Shrine Bowl. Plus, he was a Preseason All-Big Ten selection (Athlon Sports). It has been quite a journey for this native son of New Jersey.

Pierce has gone from a Preferred Walk On (PWO) who was the very definition of being a project to now having a chance this season to make a real impact for Rutgers. But while his gains in the weight room and notorious losses on the scale are both impressive, what Piece has done in the classroom is perhaps even more impressive.

Pierce didn’t really care much for hitting the books coming out of Trenton Central High School. He changed his habits in the weight room, leading to him developing into one of the Big Ten’s top tackles.

And he began hitting the books – hard.

For the past two seasons, Piere has been an Academic All-Big Ten selection.

“Being a young kid, you know, going into transitioning high school. I don’t think anybody really loves high school,” Pierce said.

“But as you mature, as you realize the importance of it, then you realize how what you have to do and how you have to buckle down in the classroom.”

It has been a maturation process for Pierce, who admits he had some growing up to do when he arrived at Rutgers. His weight loss seems to have coincided with a serious attitude in the classroom.

For Pierce, the duality of being a student-athlete is now an important part of who he is at Rutgers. He is focused on football, intensely so. But he is finding a real direction in his studies.

Pierce is a sociology major.

“Being a young kid, you know, going into transitioning high school. I don’t think anybody really loves high school. But as you mature, as you realize the importance of it, then you realize how what you have to do and how you have to buckle down in the classroom,” Pierce said.

“I mean one thing you know (that the) coaches always emphasize to us is grades. Football is obviously a priority but  grades always come first and I realized coming from a prep school and stuff. – college is going to be challenging. But you know, you got to put the time in in the classroom just like you do on the field.”

Since arriving on campus at Rutgers in 2020, Pierce is down over 130 pounds from his weight coming out of high school. It is a staggering change of physique and body that was born from not just discipline and effort on his part but also the mentorship of head coach Jay Butler, the head of strength and conditioning for the football program

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When Pierce arrived from Fork Union Military Academy, a prep school in Virginia, there was no denying that he was huge. But his body needed drastic reshaping if the walk on was ever going to see the field at Rutgers.

“I feel completely different. I mean,  my first walking in the doors at Fork Union I was 455 pounds. When I left Fork Union, I was about 421 [pounds]. [I] Lost weight, worked out and when I finally got the call to come here, I was about 390,” Pierce said.

“They got me down to like 320 so you can see from there that’s a huge change.

“Diet was a big part. I mean, when I was huge all I was doing was eating.”

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