Tag: Marquise Watson

‘I ended up trying to run here!’ How Julian Campenni joined Rutgers football

Julian Campenni said he was ready to run for this opportunity with Rutgers football.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Julian Campenni comes to Rutgers football this offseason with plenty of experience and upside. But when the opportunity to join the Big Ten program came along, there was no hesitation on the part of the now Rutgers defensive end coach’s mind to take the job.

Campenni joins defensive line coach Colin Ferrel as the new additions to the Rutgers football staff this offseason. Both hires by head coach Greg Schiano saw Rutgers dip into the MAC to find energetic, enthusiastic coaches brimming with potential.

The duo replaces [autotag]Marquise Watson[/autotag], who was sidelined last year for personal reasons.

Campenni comes to Rutgers following five years at Bowling Green, a program that is very solid defensively in the MAC. He has ties to the area having played his high school football in Pennsylvania and then in college at UConn where he was an All-American Athletic Conference selection.

The opportunity to work on Schiano’s staff stood out to Campenni as an important next step in his career.

“What happened with coach ‘Quise last year was very sad – and I didn’t know coach ‘Quise…I met him when I got here a couple of times but just hearing from everybody in the building about the type of dude he is – he’s a great person and someone obviously we’re still thinking about and praying for,” Campenni said on Tuesday.

“When I heard about this opportunity – to me it was a no brainer. To come back closer to home…to be in my opinion in the best conference in college football and work for a guy like coach Schiano and coach Harasymiak (defensive coordinator Joe Hrasymiak) and this staff. I ended up trying to run here as fast as I could. So it’s been great. I’m fortunate enough to be able to get an opportunity to be here and work with these kids and the staff.”

As he settles into life at Rutgers and in the Big Ten, Campenni said that he has taken note of Harasymiak.

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Now in his third year at Rutgers, Harasymiak is one of the top defensive coordinators in the nation. Known for his attention to detail, Harasymiak has left a definite impression on the defensive ends coach.

“He’s elite. He’s elite at what he does. Everything he does is the best so I kind of just match him,” Campenni said.

“He sets the tone defensively as a defensive staff of the expectations and he makes it really easy to just fall in line and, and do that, so he’s awesome. I mean, he brings it every day and he makes it easy for us.”

With his weight now down, Zaire Angoy has his arrow pointed up with Rutgers football

Through dedication and hard work, Zaire Angoy has re-made himself with Rutgers football.

Zaire Angoy might just be the Popeye of Rutgers football, a new-found love for spinach combined with a healthier diet is likely to have a serious impact on his snap count this season.

That wasn’t always the case for Angoy during his time at Rutgers. But an unrelenting pursuit to better himself helped land Angoy in a spot this spring to make some noise at defensive tackle.

Rewind back to 2020 and Angoy was just finishing up with his final year of high school. Angoy had committed to Rutgers and head coach Greg Schiano, a three-star prospect who was the No. 21 recruit in New Jersey.

He was projected to be a multi-year impact player at defensive tackle for the Scarlet Knights. Then the world changed.

That spring of 2020, COVID-19 hit and Angoy’s plans for football stopped. Well, except for Angoy’s weight.

That, it turns out, would change dramatically.

As a senior at Irvington High School (Irvington, New Jersey), he consistently weighed in around 330 pounds. But with COVID-19 shutting things down and with no way to work out, Angoy began to let bad habits slip in.

Snacking, unhealthy food and a lack of activity led Angoy’s weight to balloon. Upon arriving at Rutgers, Angoy was 375 pounds.

As of last week, Angoy was in at 312 pounds.

His new best friends? The Stairmaster and spinach.

“I was always athletic, so the athleticism was always there,” Angoy told Rutgers Wire.

“But now getting athletic and faster, mastering my craft – has gotten me there and healthy.

“The diet was good (in) high school. You know, in high school I was doing good. Me and coach Smoke (Irvington’s highly-respected head coach Ashley Pierre) put me on a plan. I started wrestling. I brought down my weight in high school. Then obviously whenCOVID hit, (I) wasn’t practicing as much. I got the weight back.”

The weight came back, he says, and then some.

“I was 330 (pounds) during COVID. So I kind of gained another 45 pounds,” Angoy said.

“It was like choices, made bad choices…bad choices.”

Angoy’s voice trails off for a moment as if he is reminded of how far he has come over the past four years.

“Eating habits and not playing led to it,” Angoy said.

“Obviously, because we used to work out then go home and then we didn’t work out that much during COVID.”

Enter Jay Butler, the director of Rutgers football’s sports performance program. Angoy realized that his strength was still there but the conditioning component was lacking.

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He struggled during practice and workouts because of all the weight.

Angoy bought into Butler’s plan to not just re-shape his body, but create a positive, healthy lifestyle. One that Angoy could maintain and keep at any time, in any place.

A second figure walked into Angoy’s life last year and that was [autotag]Isaiah Iton[/autotag].

Out of the transfer portal, Iton came to Rutgers from Ole Miss searching for playing time. He connected with [autotag]Marquise Watson[/autotag], formerly an assistant at Ole Miss who was the defensive line coach last year at Rutgers.

Iton sought more playing time at Rutgers, and he found it, having a strong season. But he also found a willing and eager pupil in Angoy.

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On and off the field, Angoy watched Iton’s dedication to this opportunity at Rutgers. Now it might well be Angoy who steps up this fall and finds a starting job in the interior of the Rutgers defensive line.

“Isaiah – something people don’t know about him – he has great eating habits, he eats nothing but spinach.  His diet is really good. The guy is really good, he has great eating habits,” Angoy said.

“As far as his physicality, him coming off the ball is really good. He stays low. That’s one thing I learned from him.”

Iton likes steamed spinach and that’s the way Angoy now consumes it, often with chicken in a salad. It is now a part of his diet at least three times a week.

Last season, Angoy finished with 10 total tackles for Rutgers.

Jared Keyte has a new role with Rutgers football coaching staff

Jared Keyte has a new role on the Rutgers football coaching staff.

Jared Keyte is making a transition this offseason on the coaching, this after filling in last year as the defensive line coach.

Keyte will be the nickels coach this year for Rutgers. Last year, Keyte stepped in when [autotag]Marquise Watson[/autotag] was unable to coach the unit.

As for Keyte, he will remain in a quality control role but will move to the backend. He came to Rutgers after being the defensive coordinator at Maine in 2022. In his four previous seasons at Maine, Keyte was the special teams coordinator.

This is Keyte’s second season back at Rutgers, where he had originally been on staff in 2015.

Keyte earned praise from head coach Greg Schiano last fall for stepping into a difficult spot.

“Coach Keyte has done a really good job. You know, he’s been a defensive coordinator at the FCS level,” Schiano said on Wednesday following practice.

“He’s a very knowledgeable football coach and he was working kind of in a quality control position with the defensive line. And when coach Watson fell ill, he stepped in and has done a very good job. He’s kept it kept it together.”

Last year, Colin Ferrell spent the offseason studying Rutgers football. Now, he is their defensive line coach

Colin Ferrell took a deep dive into the Rutgers football defense last offseason. He is now coaching in that very same defense.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Last spring, Colin Ferrell took a deep dive into the Rutgers football defense, preparing a report on how the system works and operates. Fast forward a year later and Ferrell is in his second month as the Rutgers defensive line coach.

Ferrell, who played his high school football in New Jersey at Steinert High School (Hamilton), arrives at Rutgers having spent 11 seasons at Kent State. His deep dive into Rutgers began well before the interview process this offseason.

With Kent State switching last season to a defense that was similar to the Rutgers base Ferrell took time last offseason to deep dive into the Scarlet Knights unit.

He spent time talking with [autotag]Marquise Watson[/autotag], the Rutgers defensive line coach, to learn the ins and outs of the scheme.

“It was more so (that) we had a shift and we were going to a new defense. So we’re going to basically a similar scheme and we were studying different things,” Ferrell said on Thursday.

“So I actually reached out last year to ask some questions on why they do this and why they do that. So with that, you come – you just see kids that pop off the tape. You know what I’m going to click this, I’m going to click that. Next. I got four clips on 71. You got a couple more of 48 – you know what I mean? And you’re like ‘OK, these guys are good players’.”

“And so at the time, we don’t know what the future holds, right? So you’re just kind of like putting in plays to show your current players. And then you know, things happening like holy smokes! Like, there’s some familiarity with what they can do. There’s some understanding of what they do well, what we need to work on… opportunities for growth. So that part of it has made the transition a little more seamless, but few transitions are completely seamless.”

The uncertain “future” for Ferrell this time a year ago landed him back in his home state. He admits that the job opening at Rutgers wasn’t on his radar.

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In fact, he wasn’t aware that Rutgers was looking for a new defensive line coach.

Watson, the Rutgers defensive line coach for the past two years, was sidelined for the entirety of the 2023 season with a medical issue. This offseason, Rutgers hired Ferrell along with Julian Campenni (defensive ends) to invigorate the unit.

The process for the hire had begun late last fall when contact was first made between Ferrell and Rutgers.

Defensive coordinator, Joe Harasymiak, reached out to Ferrell towards the end of the season to touch base about the opening. Then Harasymiak reached out again after Rutgers beat Miami in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl.

In hindsight, the situation seems surreal. Here was Ferrell, having spent significant time last offseason studying in depth the Rutgers defense…and then, mere months later, he had the opportunity to pursue a job on their staff.

It is a homecoming of sorts for Ferrell, who gets to return to New Jersey.

Following his high school career, Ferrell spent four years at Kent State where he was an All-MAC selection as a senior. He was signed by the Indianapolis Colts after the NFL draft in 2008.

After his playing career was over, Ferrell returned to New Jersey where he coached high school football for four years before returning to Kent State and working on their staff.

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The opening at Rutgers made for a unique synergy for Ferrell given his time spent studying the program’s defense.

In fact, Ferrell’s time spent studying the Rutgers defense made for some interesting preparation for the interview process.

“Almost like you have the answer to the test. Like I know what drills I had to use to get my guys to execute, right?” Ferrell said.

“And at the end of the day, it’s about getting the guys to execute. So did that help me prep for the interview? That did. I mean, In terms of just the terminology, in terms of what’s important, what needs to be focused on what’s hard to get done. And there’s things that we do that we ask these kids to do that aren’t easy. And so I think that kind of helped in the decision process.”

What does this all mean? Five things to know about Colin Ferrell and the implications for Rutgers football

A look at what the Colin Ferrell hire means for Rutgers football.

Colin Ferrell is the newest addition to the Rutgers football coaching staff, bringing a strong resume to the Big Ten. This is a homecoming for Ferrell, who is from New Jersey.

The news was broken by Rutgers football insider Pete Thamel of ESPN on Tuesday morning.

He joins a program that went 7-6 (3-5 Big Ten) last year. Rutgers ended their season with a win over Miami in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl.

Ferrell, who played for Steinert High School (Hamilton, New Jersey), was a standout defensive lineman at Kent State for four years. He joined the MAC program’s staff in 2012 and has been an integral part of his alma mater ever since.

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Scroll down and check out five things to know about Colin Ferrell, the new defensive line coach at Rutgers, and what it means for the Scarlet Knights.

Breaking: Colin Ferrell hired as the next Rutgers football defensive line coach, per report

Rutgers football has hired Colin Ferrell as its next defensive line coach.

Colin Ferrell, an experienced assistant coach with strong ties to New Jersey, will be Rutgers football’s defensive line coach, replacing Marquise Watson.

The news was broken on Tuesday morning by ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Born in New Jersey (Hamilton), Ferrell is an energetic coach and known as a strong teacher. He is a former standout defensive lineman at Kent State who signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent.

Ferrell has been with Kent State since 2012. In 2017, he served as the program’s interim head coach. He has further ties to New Jersey, having coached at The Hun School (Princeton, New Jersey) early in his career.

A source confirmed Thamel’s report of Ferrell’s hire as well as a new role for Watson.

 

Last season, Watson was unable to coach the defensive line due to a health condition. Jared Keyte, a former defensive coordinator at Maine and an assistant at Rutgers, stepped up to coach the defensive line in Watson’s abscence.

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As he continues his recovery, will transition to an off-the-field role.

Why did Aaron Lewis return to Rutgers football? For one more chance to play with coach Marquise Watson

Aaron Lewis discusses the role Marquise Watson had in his return to Rutgers football.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — One more year to play for his big brother. That’s what Rutgers football defensive end Aaron Lewis wanted when he decided that he will return next season for a final season of Big Ten football.

The older brother spoken of by Lewis does not have any blood ties to the All-Big Ten defensive end. Instead, it is a deep connection and line of trust that Lewis has formed with Rutgers defensive line coach Marquise Warson over the past two years.

And with Watson having been sidelined this past year due to health reasons, Lewis said he has felt the impact of being without a positional coach he not only respects but also loves.

Watson, who hasn’t coached at all this regular season, is very much a brotherly influence in Lewis’ life.

“Coach Watson’s like my brother – the brother I never really had. I gained a really really close relationship with him. He had a really close relationship with my mom before she passed,” Lewis said on Wednesday after practice.

“Obviously what happened was unfortunate and every day, we pray for his health and stuff like that.

“For me, myself, personally. I feel like that I depended a lot on coach Watson, you know? He gave corrections and stuff on the sideline; the way we worked and how we meshed as coach and the player was something different. So when that wasn’t there, I feel like I kind of was a little lost in a way.”

Lewis is coming off a solid season at Rutgers (46 total tackles, three sacks and two passes defended).

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But it wasn’t the huge step forward developmentally that he had hoped for, especially to further his NFL draft ambitions. Coming back another year, he said, will be very helpful in that regard.

“I feel like, weight-wise wise (and) obviously strength-wise, you know, I can get the final touches that I would like to do with my with my body and my strength,” Lewis said.

“But this last year, and you know, I just feel like you see some people on our team coming back, you know, having a chance to go one more time with the with brothers and the people you came in with – kind of drives you a little bit having that end success.”

Greg Schiano updates Marquise Watson’s health status: ‘I would appreciate everybody’s prayers’

Marquise Watson continues the recovery process for a medical situation.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Things continue in a holding pattern for the return of Marquise Watson. The Rutgers football defensive line coach has been away from the program for nearly a month due to a medical reason.

Watson has not coached or been with the team since prior to the season opener, a win over Northwestern. He continues the receivery process.

Now in his second year with Rutgers, Watson is one of head coach Greg Schiano’s home run hires for his staff. Watson has proven to be a strong recruiter and his ties to the area have helped him land several highly-regarded recruits.

“With Marquise, he’s kind of in a similar spot. And I would appreciate everybody’s prayers. You know, he’s one of a kind, that’s for sure,” Schiano said on Wednesday.

“And he’s a Jersey guy that so many people know. And just please keep him in everyone’s prayers.”

Watson played his high school football at Paramus Catholic. Collegiately, he was a defensive tackle at Bryant. Prior to Rutgers, he was an assistant in the SEC at Ole Miss.

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Jared Keyte has filled in for Watson as the defensive line coach.

Rutgers football head coach Greg Schiano updates the status of Marquise Watson

Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano gives an update on where things stand with Marquise Watson.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Rutgers defensive line coach Marquise Watson continues the process of recovering from a recent health issue, one that has kept him away from the program for nearly a month.

Watson has not coached a game this season for Rutgers due to a health issue suffered in the lead-up to the season opener against Northwestern. He is currently not with the program as he continues to recover.

The second-year defensive line coach is well-liked and respected throughout the program. His high energy has been consistently cited by recruits who have committed to the program.

Watson is from New Jersey and played his high school football at Paramus Catholic. He played collegiately at Bryant.

Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano was asked on Wednesday about the status of Watson and his recovery.

“Obviously coach isn’t with us, so we’re keeping him in our prayers. I’m hopeful that he’s going to recover fully and be able to come back and join us,” Schiano said on Wednesday. “But you know, we all pray for him every day.”

Rutgers faces No. 2 Michigan on Saturday. Kickoff is at noon and the game will air on the Big Ten Network.

What did Marquise Watson’s return to practice mean to Rutgers football?

The Rutgers football defensive line welcomed back coach Marquise Watson this week.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Rutgers football put together a dominant performance in their season opener on Sunday. They were led by their defensive line, who were absent position coach Marquise Watson.

Yet, their dominant performance had to encourage Watson.

In the 24-7 win, Rutgers held Northwestern to 201 yards of total offense, the lowest number a Big Ten opponent has been held to since the Scarlet Knights joined the conference in 2014. Rutgers racked up five sacks and eight tackles for a loss.

Watson, in his second year with the program, was not on the sidelines for Sunday’s win. A medical issue kept him out of the season opener, but Watson did return to practice on Thursday.

“It’s amazing having a bag. I mean, he’s a great personality. Of course, he’s my favorite one of my favorite coaches,” defensive lineman Kyone Hamilton told Rutgers Wire on Wednesday following practice.

“That’s my guy…I really appreciate him and the things he’s done for me and the things he’s done for our group. So having him back out there – I was just really excited. It was great to see him this morning. Led us through the meetings. going out in the field – it just continued and he kept going.”

Hamilton had three tackles in Sunday’s season opener.

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“It did mean a lot for him. We, of course, are going play our hearts out for him,” Hamilton said.

“We play outside every day, but it definitely meant a lot more just because he wasn’t there.”

 

Rutgers returns home on Saturday night for a non-conference game against Temple. Last year, Rutgers went on the road and narrowly beat Temple 16-14.

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It will be a ‘Blackout’ game for Rutgers, as fans are being asked to wear black and the team will be in their all-black uniforms.

“I mean, they look great, but we don’t really focus on like the uniforms and stuff like that,” Hamilton said.

“We just focus on getting after to practice making sure we’re ready for that night no matter when the game is we got to be prepared to go for three and a half, four hours every time we’re out there on Saturday.”