Tag: Scarlet Knights

Report: Rutgers earmarked for massive athletic department funding

Yesterday, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy earmarked $100 million for Rutgers University athletics in the proposed budget for the state according to reporting from NJ Advance Media

Major funding for improvements to facilities for the Rutgers basketball and football programs are coming soon. Yesterday, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy (D) earmarked $100 million for Rutgers University athletics in the proposed budget for the state according to reporting from NJ Advance Media.

The money is specifically earmarked to be used for renovating Jersey Mike’s Arena and for the building of a proposed indoor practice facility for football.

Part of the deal in hiring football’s head coach [autotag]Greg Schiano[/autotag] was a commitment toward building an indoor practice facility. While a formal fundraising campaign should be announced soon, receiving some state funding is a major first step. The budget is expected to be passed on Wednesday and signed into law by Murphy on Thursday, per the report.

Also included in the budget is a commitment of $150 million additional to the Rutgers medical schools and $50 million for a research complex to be built in downtown New Brunswick.

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Peter McDonough Jr., the university’s senior vice president for external affairs spoke to Brent Johnson and Ted Sherman about the $300 million dollar investment in the university:

“The investments that the proposed budget makes in Rutgers University will help the state establish its role as a global leader in the innovation economy, will provide several hundred million dollars for aid to students and for making improvements to essential academic facilities in New Brunswick, Newark and Camden, and will provide seed money for enhancements to athletics facilities that will be overwhelmingly funded through private donations.”

After Rutgers athletics had a strong 2021-2022 season across the board, Tuesday’s news of the impending funding for the athletic department and the state university as a whole, better days continue to be on the horizon for all Scarlet Knights.

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What does ESPN’s FPI say about Rutgers football for 2022 season?

ESPN’s FPI for the 2022 preseason were recently release. Here’s what it predicts for Rutgers’s season

Rutgers football is still a building program. The return of head coach Greg Schiano has sparked hope in fans of the program who witnessed him bring the Scarlet Knights to new heights during his first tenure with the school.

Despite have a win-loss record of 5-8 last season, Rutgers was named as a late replacement and accepted a bid to the 2021 Gator Bowl. They lost that game 38-10, but the team has continued to take a step forward each season. Coach Schiano has brought a winning culture to the program and continues to bring strong recruiting classes since his return as well.

Despite their recruiting rankings and going to another bowl game, ESPN’s Football Power Index is not looking too fondly on the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers was ranked in the bottom half of FBS, settling in at No. 83 in the country and dead last in the Big Ten. They are one spot behind their co-Big Ten brethren at Northwestern University.

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FPI is predicting Rutgers to finish with a 4-8 record. With their first three games coming out of the conference and against lesser competition, the question is can they take out more than one Big Ten opponent to beat this prediction. The only other Big Ten teams predicted to have less than six wins are Illinois, Indiana, and Northwestern.

The Scarlet Knights are also looking at just an 11.7 percent chance of reaching the six wins typically needed to qualify for a bowl game. They are also one of two teams given a zero percent chance of winning their division (Indiana), and one of four teams given a zero percent chance of winning the conference (Indiana, Illinois, Northwestern).

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Rutgers’ roster has a lot of young and incoming talent. With back-to-back top 50 recruiting classes, there is hope for the program and if some of the young players reach their potential sooner than expected, they could surpass these predictions easily. Schiano still has a ways to go, but a few surprise wins are not out of the question.

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Former Rutgers recruiting target Christopher Thomas enters transfer portal

Former Rutgers football recruiting target Chris Thomas has officially entered the transfer portal.

One of the top 30 defensive linemen and top high school football players out of Florida from the class of 2021 has entered the transfer portal. Former Florida Gator lineman Chris Thomas officially entered the transfer portal today, June 28.

The Fort Myers, FL native and Dunbar High School alum leaves the Florida program after just one season.

Thomas was actually cut by first-year head coach Billy Napier. He was one of three players cut by Napier. First-year coaches are able to cut scholarship players thanks to a NCAA bylaw, but can still stay on scholarship at the school until they graduate. Thomas opted to test the portal today instead and with the May 1 deadline already passing, he will need a waiver to be eligible at another school this season.

The big six-foot-seven, 300+ pound former Rutgers recruiting target saw varied rankings. Rivals.com had the interior defender rated as a three-star recruit and No. 26 at his position in the class of 2021. 247Sports Composite also ranked him as a three-star, setting in at No. 61 in the state of Florida.

On3 rated him higher, giving him a four-star rating, ranking him No. 20 at his position and No. 26 in Florida for his class.

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The decision isn’t a huge surprise considering Thomas only saw game time in one contest as a freshman. Prior to committing to play for the Gators, he received offers from very strong programs like Miami, Florida State, Tennessee, and Texas A&M. He also saw offers from Big Ten powers Penn State, Purdue, Indiana, and of course Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights were his second offer and his first Power Five offer.

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Head coach Greg Schiano has had a lot of success targeting players from Florida and developing them into strong contributors. If Rutgers were to take a second look at Thomas, he could be a strong contributor on defense at SHI Stadium soon.

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Rutgers’ Aundre Hyatt plays well in Greece for USA Basketball

Rutgers basketball forward Aundre Hyatt played well in Greece this past weekend, playing for USA Basketball’s East Coast team.

Rutgers men’s basketball’s junior forward Aundre Hyatt joined USA Basketball’s East Coast team on their trip to compete in Athens, Greece this past weekend. He helped his squad go a perfect 3-0 against some of Athens’ best professional teams. Slam Magazine writer Matthew Caputo called the experience in Athens, “…college basketball’s version of study abroad…”

Hyatt impressed early, finishing the opening contest as the leading scorer with 14 points. He added four rebounds, three assists, and a block in 20 minutes. Unfortunately, he tweaked his ankle during game 2. The former LSU Tiger averaged 12.5 points during the trip.

Prior to the trip, Hyatt expressed his excitement through a Rutgers press release:

“I am super excited to compete and participate in this experience with the USA Basketball’s East Coast Team. It’s an honor to be selected alongside some of the best collegiate East Coast players in the country. I have been working on my game this offseason with my coaches and staff and look to use this experience to continue to improve heading the upcoming season for Rutgers men’s basketball.”

The junior Hyatt was one of the key pieces for head coach Steve Pikiell off the bench in 2021-22. The Bronx, N.Y. native who transferred to Rutgers in 2020, averaged 4.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and shot 35.8 percent from the field in 12.8 minutes-per-game last season. Hyatt reached. Hyatt is taking every opportunity to improve as he looks to step into a bigger role in 2021-22 with the departures of Scarlet Knight legends Ron Harper Jr. and Geo Baker.

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Awards continue to roll in for Rutgers baseball

Rutgers baseball and softball players continued to receive honors over the weekend. See who was honored and how they performed this season.

Awards season continued for Rutgers baseball this past weekend. Players on both the softball and baseball teams received honors this past Friday.

From the baseball squad, junior catcher Nick Cimillo was named the District 2 Player of the Year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). District 2 consists of players from Connecticut, West Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Washington D.C. Cimillo finished the season leading the entire Big Ten conference with a .385 batting average, .707 slugging percentage, and 1.199 OPS.

His 16 home runs were tied for the team lead, and he led all Scarlet Knights in walks. He was near the top of every offensive category for Rutgers baseball this season.

Also, this past Friday, Gabrielle Callaway and Kyleigh Sand from Rutgers softball heard their names called when the ECAC announced their All-ECAC teams. Callaway, a graduate student outfielder, was named to the First Team All-ECAC and the sophomore shortstop Sand received honorable mention honors. This is the third set of honors the teammates will share this year, as both previously received National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) First Team All-Region honors and were the Scarlet Knights’ first-ever First Team All-Big Ten selections.

Callaway finished the season in a second-place tie on the single-season leaders’ list in RBIs with 47, and tied for eighth with 10 home runs. She was also near the tops in the Big Ten in multiple categories, including being first in sacrifice flies with six, and sixth in RBIs.

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The Alabama native also finished the season with a slash line of .377 / .472 / .649, good for seventh, eighth, and ninth in the Big Ten, respectively.

Sand was the table-setter all season. The lead-off hitter accrued a 398 batting average, the highest from a Rutgers player since 2011, and her team-leading 49 runs helped the Scarlet Knights score their most runs since 2015. Sand’s season resulted in her name being scattered amongst the best single-season numbers in program history. She finished with second-most hits with 68, third-most runs with 49, fourth-most walks with 33, tied for fifth most steals with 23, and the sixth-best batting average.

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On the Big Ten season leaders page, she finished fourth in both hits and stolen bases, fifth in batting average and on-base percentage (.495), and finished sixth in runs.

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Former Rutgers recruiting target Elijah Taylor enters transfer portal

Former Rutgers basketball recruiting target, power forward Elijah Taylor, has officially entered the transfer portal

One of the top 50 power forwards and the No. 6 basketball prospect out of Pennsylvania from the class of 2020 is officially a free agent. Former Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Elijah Taylor entered the transfer portal on Friday.

The Philadelphia, PA native is transferring out of Notre Dame after just one season with the Irish. His freshman season was shut down before it got started. Taylor underwent ankle surgery on December 11, 2020, and sat out the entire 2020-21 season through rehabilitations.

He saw game time in three contests in the 2021-2022 season, averaging under four minutes per contest and totaling eight points, two rebounds, and a block.

A three-star recruit in the 247Sports Composite, Taylor was noted as being a tough, aggressive guy who would can mix it up in the paint and add good athleticism to boot.

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Prior to committing to the Fighting Irish, Taylor received offers from Seton Hall, Florida, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Penn State, George Washington, and Rutgers. His first offer came from the Scarlet Knights.

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Academic issues caused him to not only not be able to play, but also to practice with the team this past season. Nevertheless, at the time, Taylor pledged to be back and get things worked out so he could continue his Irish career. He entered the portal a few days prior to the deadline for players to be able to transfer and play immediately in the fall.

Former Rutgers recruiting target Rondel Walker enters transfer portal

Former Rutgers basketball recruiting target Rondel Walker has officially entered the transfer portal

One of the top 15 combo guards and top-five recruits out of Oklahoma from the class of 2020 is once again available. Former Oklahoma State Cowboy Rondel Walker has officially announced he entered the transfer portal on Friday.

The Oklahoma City, Oklahoma native is transferring out of OSU after two seasons. Walker is the fifth player for the Cowboys to enter the portal this cycle. He did so just two days before the May 1 deadline, allowing him to play this next season.

Walker played in all 30 of Oklahoma State’s games this past season, making eight starts. He averaged 4.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.6 steals per game in 2021-22. His 48 steals ranked fifth in the Big 12.

A four-star recruit in the 247Sports Composite, Walker was noted as being smooth, explosive three-and-D guy by scouts. Prior to committing to OSU, he received offers from Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, Kansas State, and Rutgers among others.

As a freshman, Walker averaged 7.8 points a game, scoring in double figures 12 times. He put up a career-high 20 points in Ames against Iowa State as a freshman.

Former Rutgers football cornerback Blessuan Austin signs with Denver Broncos

Former Rutgers cornerback Blessuan Austin signed with the Denver Broncos.

Just one day before the opening round of the NFL draft, the Denver Broncos filled a big roster need. According to 9News insider Mike Klis, cornerback Blessuan Austin is signing with Denver after spending last season with the Seattle Seahawks.

Austin, 25-years old, will add depth to a Broncos defensive back room after having started 17 games over the last three seasons with Seattle and the New York Jets. Austin is one of seven players who tried out for the Broncos during voluntary minicamp this week.

The Broncos filled another need many fans thought would be addressed in the draft. This signing comes on the back of bringing back running back Melvin Gordon. Per our friend Joshua Kellem at Broncos Wire, Austin will presumably slot into the No. 4 cornerback slot behind Patrick Surtain, Ronald Darby, and K’Waun Williams. He’ll be used in the team’s dime package (six defensive backs).

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Austin was selected in the 2019 draft in the sixth round (196 overall) by the Jets. He has seen time in 29 games in his young career thus far, recording 98 tackles (77 solo, three for loss), two QB hits, eight pass breakups, and two forced fumbles.

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Rutgers defensive lineman/linebacker Brian Ugwu enters the transfer portal

Rutgers defensive end/linebacker Brian Ugwu officially entered the transfer portal on Thursday.

Rutgers defensive end/linebacker Brian Ugwu officially entered the transfer portal Friday. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound edge rusher will now have three years of eligibility left to play college football elsewhere.

A three-star recruit in both the 247Sports Composite and per Rivals.com, Ugwu committed to the Scarlet Knight program on signing day back in February of 2019. Former Rutgers head coach Chris Ash was the one who recruited and offered Ugwu when he was at Hillside high school.

He made his collegiate debut in 2019 against Massachusetts, but ended up tearing his ACL and was passed on the depth chart while recovering from injury. As a sophomore in 2020, he did appear in two games (Penn State, Maryland) and was named to the Academic All-Big Ten list.

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Ugwu did not see game action in 2021. He did not feature heavily in Friday’s annual spring game scrimmage as other edge rushers have lept ahead of him on the depth chart.

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Prior to committing to Rutgers, Ugwu saw offers from Pittsburgh, Duke, Syracuse, Temple, and Nebraska.

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Former Rutgers recruiting target Audley Isaacs enters transfer portal

Former Rutgers football recruiting target Audley Isaacs has officially entered the transfer portal.

One of the top 150 linebackers and top 50 high school football players out of Pennsylvania from the class of 2017 has entered the transfer portal. Former Temple linebacker Audley Isaacs officially entered the transfer portal last week.

The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native and Valley Forge Military Academy alum is leaving Temple as a graduate transfer.

A two-star recruit according to Rivals and a three-star linebacker in the 247Sports Composite signed his letter of intent to play for the Temple Owls in May of his senior high school season. Prior to that, he received interest  from UConn, West Virginia, Cornell, Army, and Rutgers.

Isaacs finishes his time at Temple mostly seeing time on special teams. He did finish with 26 tackles and a fumble recovery in 27 games played during his time with the Owls. Greg Schinao’s defense is strong and tenacious, something Isaacs has shows when given the opportunity when rotating in at linebacker.

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He did suffer a season ending injury in a game against Memphis in 2020, but that was after stepping in at linebacker and setting a career-high in tackles (eight), as well as scooping up that fumble. He would bring veteran experience and leadership to the Scarlet Knight locker room.

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