Tag: Ian Strong

Breaking: Naseim Brantley absolved, Rutgers wide receiver is no longer in NCAA purgatory

Naseim Brantley has been officially cleared by the NCAA to play for Rutgers football this fall.

Naseim Brantley is set to play for Rutgers football in 2024, the NCAA (finally) clearing the transfer portal wide receiver. Tuesday’s news ends a long and twisting saga that had kept Brantley off the field and ineligible to play according to the NCAA.

He has one year of eligibility left.

Brantley joined Rutgers football out of the transfer portal last year, following a standout season at Western Illinois. He sat out the past year waiting for NCAA clearance to be eligible to join Rutgers.

During that time, Brantley was fully enrolled at Rutgers and was with the team. During that time he was with the team, and participated in team activities like watching film. He just wasn’t able to represent the Scarlet Knights on the field.

In 2022, the last season he played college football Brantley had a standout showing for Western Illinois where he had 53 catches for 909 receiving yards with nine touchdowns.

Brantley is from Farmingdale, New Jersey.

 

He joins a receiving corps at Rutgers that has some depth and talent. In the transfer portal this offseason, the Scarlet Knights landed Dymere Miller out of Monmouth, adding a potential playmaker to the group.

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Returning this season is [autotag]Ian Strong[/autotag], who as a true freshman showed flashes of his potential last year (16 catches for 230 yards with two touchdowns).

In his college football debut against Northwestern, Strong made the SportsCenter Top 10 with a highlight reel touchdown catch.

Also returning is [autotag]Christian Dremel[/autotag], who had a breakout season for Rutgers and was their leading wide receiver in 2023.

As for Brantley, it is a solid addition to a Rutgers offense that made gains last year under offensive Kirk Ciarrocca.

In late September, Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano was asked about Brantley’s status and why he was unable to be cleared by the NCAA.

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Schiano’s answer was clearly well-worded and cautious but spoke to the Rutgers head coach’s frustration at the situation.

“I just hope that it works out the way it should. I’m not saying it because it’s our guy. The way it should I believe that if you look at it from a neutral standpoint, he should be allowed to play so hopefully that happens,” Schiano said.

“You know, it would be a shame if it didn’t. It’s not what the purpose of the rule the way it is. So without getting into too much hopefully it works itself out.”

Rutgers football sets annual spring game date

The Rutgers football spring game is scheduled for April 27.

Rutgers football announced on Monday that it will conclude spring practice with its annual intra-squad scrimmage on April 27.

The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network but kickoff time was not announced.

Traditionally, the game has been a significant recruiting event for Rutgers, with a number of top players from the area taking unofficial visits to campus.

The annual Scarlet-White game will be held on Rutgers Day, a celebration of the academic and social side of the university. The football game is in many ways the focal point of the day’s activities.

 

The scrimmage is the culmination of 15 spring practices and is developmentally an important time for young players as well as those looking to make a move on the depth chart. Last season, offensive players such as wide receiver [autotag]Ian Strong[/autotag] and running back Ja’Shon Benjamin[autotag], both true freshmen at the time, flashed throughout spring practice.

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Rutgers finished this past season 7-6 (3-5 Big Ten) and a win over Miami in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. The Scarlet Knights played the second-toughest schedule in college football.

It’s Miller time: Transfer portal wide receiver Dymere Miller commits to Rutgers football

Dymere Miller gives a commitment to Rutgers football on Sunday.

Rutgers football landed a playmaker wide receiver in Dymere Miller following a weekend official visit. Miller joins Rutgers out of the transfer portal after having spent the previous four years at Monmouth.

Miller joins Rutgers with one year of eligibility left.

Last season, Miller was dominant for Monmouth with 90 catches for 1,295 yards and nine touchdowns. He finished his college career at Monmouth was 169 catches for 2,408 yards with 17 touchdowns.

He also has been offered by UConn, FAU, Pittsburgh and Texas Tech among others.

Miller already took a visit to Texas Tech. A scheduled visit to Pittsburgh has been canceled.

He made the announcement via social media on Sunday afternoon:

 

The commitment of Miller is significant for Rutgers. Blessed with good speed, Miller joins a wide receivers room that has some good returning veteran talent in players like [autotag]Christian Dremel [/autotag] and some exciting young players such as [autotag]Ian Strong [/autotag]and [autotag]Jesse Ofurie.[/autotag]

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Miller’s production and his ability to stretch the field with his speed could benefit a Rutgers offense that was improved this past season but lacked big play ability.

Rutgers football: Greg Schiano is pleased with the way Ian Strong performed on Saturday (and this whole year)

Rutgers football head coach Greg Schiano talks about the impact of Ian Strong this season.

Stepping into a major role on the offense from the get-go, freshman wide receiver Ian Strong has certainly impressed this season for Rutgers. On Saturday, Strong led all Rutgers wide receivers in receptions and receiving yards.

Strong is fourth on the Rutgers roster in receiving yards (182) and fifth with 14 receptions. For a player who arrived in January as a safety, it is a pretty strong sign of growth that on the road against a ranked Iowa team, Strong performed so well.

The Long Island athlete came to Rutgers a bit under the radar, having the Scarlet Knights as his only Power Five offer. But he has flashed this season, including Saturday’s performance against No. 22 Iowa.

Strong finished with three catches for 47 yards. Rutgers managed just 127 yards of total offense.

“I think Ian has performed from the very beginning,” head coach Greg Schiano said on Monday.

“The opening game, I believe he made that tremendous catch, right, opening game, was it? Top-10 on — or No. 1 on ESPN, right. So I think he’s a really fine athlete.”

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Schiano has been very positive about Strong’s growth and development this season. He did caution, however, that the true freshman is going through the usual bumps and bruises and fatigue of the college football season.

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“You know, all of these freshmen guys, let’s be real now, it’s mid-November. They started training camp in August. Their bodies, minds, everything, are not prepared for that. Right. That’s not what high school is like. They are all at some point or another hitting the wall, and Ian is working his tail off because he’s hit the wall. He’s got things that are bothering him physically that he’s learning in college that you push through those things,” Schiano said.

“But I was very pleased that he answered the bell when JaQuae went down and showed some great toughness because he wasn’t a hundred percent, either, out there. I knew he was going to play. But I knew he wasn’t 100 percent.”

The top five Rutgers players to watch in the season’s final four games

As the Scarlet Knights inch closer to the conclusion of the 2023 season, which five players will stand out in the season’s final four games?

As the Scarlet Knights inch closer to the conclusion of the 2023 season, which five players will stand out in the season’s final four games? Rutgers has games against No. 3 Ohio State, Iowa, No. 10 Penn State, and Maryland remaining on their regular season schedule.

Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano has his team at 6-2, the best start since the Scarlet Knights started 7-1 in 2012. Also, the Scarlet Knights’ six wins are the most in a season since going 8-5 in 2014.

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The Scarlet Knights are playing hard for Schiano and are buying into his philosophy of running the football and playing tough defense. For their efforts this season, the Scarlet Knights matched a program-high three Big Ten wins in a season, which was done in 2014, 2017, and 2020.

Can the Scarlet Knights capture a fourth Big Ten win to break their program record? Below are the five players to watch in the season’s final four games.

 

Rutgers football: Playing, not practice, made Ian Strong perfect for a position change

Rutgers football is getting a strong freshman performance from Ian Strong.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — The old adage, that practice makes perfect didn’t necessarily apply to Ian Strong. For the Rutgers football freshman, an offseason position change from defense to wide receiver just weeks into his college career came in a non-traditional way.

It is hard to believe that a player who in Week 1 made the top play in the SportsCenter Top 10 is still so raw at wide receiver.

In high school, Strong played both ways for St. Anthony’s (Hicksville, N.Y.) as a safety and as a wide receiver. But the two-star recruit was brought to Rutgers as a defensive back, despite showing significant promise as a wide receiver.

The reason for this is simple, says head coach Greg Schiano.

“He played wide receiver in games at St. Anthony’s. He didn’t really practice it,” Schiano said on Wednesday following practice.

“But when you watch them in games you’d say ‘This kid is special’ and we needed to bolster our wide receiver corp. And he is going to be special. He’s got a unique skill set, and he’s a big man. So I look forward to seeing him continue to develop.”

For those who have watched Rutgers football for a long time, it is easy to watch Strong on the field and see in his long strides a player reminiscent of Kenny Britt. Like Strong, Britt came to Rutgers with similar size (6-foot-4, 190 pounds) and good length. Strong has a similar catch radius and the ability to turn on the jets in the open field.

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Watch Strong in the open field and it is apparent that not only does he have Big Ten size, but his long strides make him a potential big play threat. When Strong opens up in space, his extension seems to carry him gracefully through each step, a symmetry of power and deft speed that seemingly never sees his gait drop.

Like Strong, Britt began making an impact as a true freshman (29 catches, 440 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 2006). Strong is just starting to scratch the surface on his potential as well.

Britt ended up in the NFL as a first-round pick of the Tennessee Titans. Strong’s ceiling remains to be seen, but he is already beginning to show his capabilities.

On the year, Strong has three catches for 42 yards and a touchdown. At 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, he has a really unique frame as a true freshman, one that the coaching duo of [autotag]Dave Brock[/autotag] (wide receivers coach) and John Perry (senior analyst) can mold into a potential game-changer for Rutgers at the Big Ten level.

He has already changed one game this season with a touchdown catch in the season opener against Northwestern that saw incredible athleticism and body control. The play went viral and ended up as the top play of the day on SportsCenter.

It put Rutgers up 7-0 and the Scarlet Knights never looked back.

 

All of which makes a very good start to his Rutgers career even more stark when compared to a recruitment that was reserved.

Despite his production in high school, Strong didn’t register a single Power Five offer other than Rutgers.

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Strong earned his offer from Rutgers during a summer camp prior to his senior season at St. Anthony’s. That day, he showcased incredible athleticism, but his versatility is what once again stood out this spring when he arrived at Rutgers.

“They moved me to receiver because that was the best chance for me to get on the field. So I started working with coach Perry and coach Brock, and they got my development to get to be a receiver to play on the field,” Strong said.

“So I’m just going out there and play. I’m going to develop as the years go on. That’s the main thing.”

The process of getting Strong from the backend to wide receiver started during a meeting with Schiano. It also ended there too.

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Strong didn’t need much convincing to switch meeting rooms. He heard from his coach and was on board with very little convincing needed.

“There was a lot of older safeties. And when I went to Schiano’s office and he told me this was the best chance to get on the field – I’m gonna listen to the man – that’s what he told me,” Strong said.

“He encouraged me that I could really see the field this year. So, I put my trust in him.

“It worked.”

 

Greg Schiano believes Rutgers football freshman Ian Strong can handle all the noise

Rutgers football true freshman Ian Strong is ready and prepared to handle all the hype.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — By any standard, making the SportsCenter Top 10 is a big deal. For Rutgers football wide receiver Ian Strong, it goes deeper than that.

Strong didn’t just have a Top 10 play, he had the top play in the nation for his tremendous leaping touchdown catch in Sunday’s season-opening win for Rutgers. A true freshman, it was Strong’s first-ever touchdown catch.

In fact, it was his first-ever reception.

It can all make for a minefield for Rutgers, given that it is so much attention coming quickly to Srong. But head coach [autotag]Greg Schiano[/autotag] believes that the moment and all the media interest that came with it won’t be too much for Srong.

“Every guy is different. So how do you handle – like everybody’s personality is different so I deal with them on an individual basis,” Schiano said on Tuesday.

“Ian is kind of a cool customer, doesn’t really show a lot of emotion kind of chill. Works really hard. As long he keeps working really hard. I don’t worry about now if I see him not working really hard, he’ll know it.”

Strong had two catches for 24 yards with that first-quarter touchdown.

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How low-key is Strong? His social media profile still reads “DB @RFootball,” indicating that he hasn’t even updated his position switch to wide receiver this spring.

 

He never tweeted or posted anything about the touchdown catch, which saw him leap high and come down in the back of the end zone with one foot in bounds.

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Quarterback Gavin Wimsatt, who threw the touchdown pass to Strong (and put it in a spot where only his wide receiver could make a play on it), said that Strong has the potential to make an impact for Rutgers.

“I’d say it’s definitely growing and it’s it’s going to keep growing out,” Wimsatt said

“He’s a great kid. He’s also fun to be around. He’s very talented. His work ethic is really good. And you know, he’s going to continue to grow and be and he’s going to be a great player.”

Wimsatt finished Sunday’s win with 163 passing yards and a 59 percent completion percentage. He had a passing touchdown and his first career rushing touchdown.

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The offense did not have a turnover in the win.

 

In his college football debut, Rutgers wide receiver Ian Strong flashes his enormous potential

Ian Strong makes a positive debut as a true freshman.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Ian Strong made a very solid first impression in Sunday’s Rutgers football season opener, hauling in his team’s first touchdown of the season.

In doing so, Strong showed why he was such a coveted recruit for Rutgers, despite the lack of buzz for him coming out of high school. Rutgers beat Northwestern 24-7 on Sunday afternoon.

Now a wide receiver, Strong still has his social media profile listed as “DB @RFootball.” X is the platform formerly known as Twitter. An early enrollee this spring, Strong came to Rutgers as a defensive back but switched to wide receiver during spring workouts.

Although the sample size is limited, Strong certainly has opened some eyes at wide receiver. The true freshman showed a playmaker’s skillset on Sunday.

“Coach Schiano said that my best way to get on the field was to move the offense,” Strong said after the game.

“So I took the opportunity. That’s really it.”

Strong was overlooked coming out of Long Island. It was some good recruiting work for Rutgers to get in on Strong early and secure his commitment last summer during a camp.

On3 ranked him as the eighth-best player in New York in the prior recruiting class. ESPN ranked him ninth in the state. Both sites had him as a three-star.

Rivals didn’t rank him within the state and had him as a two-star recruit. Only one recruiting service, 247Sports, saw the potential in Strong.

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Strong was a three-star according to 247Sports where also was ranked as the top player in New York.

The freshman defensive back wide receiver has some freaky athleticism. He is a long strider in the open field with impressive footwork for a player who is 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds.

He also has some very good leaping ability, which he put on display during his touchdown catch.

Somehow, Strong was able to jump high, secure a pass from quarterback Gavin Wimsatt and maintain body control in the back of the endzone to get one foot down for a touchdown. the play was originally called out of bounds on the field, but the officials overturned it for a touchdown after review.

Strong called it “a great throw by Gavin.”

“I was getting ready for the next play. I didn’t understand it – (in) college like everything gets reviewed, I’m used to high school,” Srong said.

“So I was getting ready for the next play and then we get to see it on the big board.”

He finished his first game of college football with two catches for 24 yards and a touchdown.

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Strong said he had a healthy amount of family and friends in the stands during Sunday’s game. Being close to home, he says, was a major reason why he committed to Rutgers.

“It means a lot like people who come watch me from home,” Strong said. “That’s that’s the main goal, why I came here.”

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The touchdown catch by Strong was the top play in the ‘SportsCenter Top 10’ from over the weekend:

 

Watch: Ian Strong gets his first collegiate touchdown, puts Rutgers football up over Northwestern

Rutgers football goes up 7-0 on Norhtwestern.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Rutgers football got up early on Northwestern, a Gavin Wimsatt touchdown pass to true freshman Ian Strong putting up a 7-0 lead on the scoreboard for the Scarlet Knights.

Strong, from St. Anthony’s on Long Island, was originally recruited to Rutgers as a defensive back. But his athleticism and long strides

Rutgers marched 75 yards on 16 plays, utilizing 6:56 of the clock and registering five first downs.

Wimsatt went 4-for-9 for 45 yards. He smartly threw away two passes when his options downfield failed to get separation.

It was an impressive first college touchdown from Strong, who used all of his 6-foot-3 frame to reach up, get a high pass from Wimsatt and then come down with one foot in bounds.

The catch was originally called out-of-bounds but after official review, was over-turned:

 

Sunday’s game is the season opener for both Rutgers and Northwestern. For head coach Greg Schiano, it is the first time in what is now his fourth year back that his team has opened at home against a Big Ten rival.

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ICYMI: Ian Strong, Davoun Fuse highlight positional changes of the spring for Rutgers football

Two true freshmen have moved positions for Rutgers football.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — There were two positional changes for Rutgers football true freshmen this spring that were highlighted by the Scarlet-White Game flip card.

Both moves see true freshmen, who enrolled this spring, move from the defense to the offense.

Ian Strong’s move from safety to wide receiver is a fascinating one given that the true freshman was an elite defensive back out of high school in Long Island. With his length and size not to mention his effortless strides, Strong has the ability to be a playmaker at wide receiver.

Another move from defense to offense is Davoun Fuse, a true freshman and a former three-star recruit from Pennsylvania. A quarterback in high school, Fuse came into the program as a linebacker this January but his tremendous athleticism sees him back to the offense.

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Fuse has added about 20 pounds from his listed weight while in high school.

Rutgers lacks depth at wide receiver is underscored by the loss of their three leading wide receivers from last year due to graduation.

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