Tag: Shameen Jones

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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Two Rutgers football players at New York Jets rookie minicamp

Two Rutgers football players are at Jets rookie minicamp.

Two Rutgers football players are getting the weekend to impress the New York Jets at rookie minicamp. Wide receiver Shameen Jones and defensive back Keenan Reid are both participating in the Jets’ weekend camp.

The duo of Jones and Reid are both listed as tryout players by the Jets. Both players had strong Pro Day performances in early March.

Jones is a polished wide receiver who has shown some good flashes during his five years at Rutgers. Last season, he had 16 catches for 252 yards and two touchdowns.

In a 27-21 loss at Michigan State, he had two catches for 41 yards with a touchdown. At 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, Jones has good size and is a solid route runner.

 

Reid detailed his performance at the Pro Day, where he said he met with several scouts from the Jets following his impressive showing during the workout.

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“My journey and story are different than most considering the fact I didn’t play as much during my time at Rutgers,” Reid told Rutgers Wire this week.

“But I knew with my Pro Day results it would at least give me a chance to get looked at. I never lost faith in my abilities. All I wanted was an opportunity to show what I can do.”

(h/t to ESPN reporter Rich Cimini for the roster information)

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Watch: Gavin Wimsatt connects with Shameen Jones as Rutgers football takes a lead

Rutgers football: Gavin Wimsatt finds Shameen Jones for a touchdown.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. —  Gavin Wimsatt has led Rutgers football on two scoring drives in the Scarlet Knights’ first three possessions of the game. The second scoring drive featured Wimsatt finding a wide-open Shameen Jones in the end zone for the second Rutgers lead of the game.

Wimsatt connected with Jones for a touchdown and what would be a 10-7 lead for Rutgers with 5:56 left in the first quarter.

It was a four-play, 21-yard drive that took just 1:48 off the clock. It was a fitting moment for Jones, who was honored on Senior Day during the program’s pregame festivities.

Check out the throw from Wimsatt to Jones for a Rutgers lead:

 

Last week, Wimsatt made quite the impression in Rutgers’ 28-21 loss at Michigan State. It was arguably the best showing of Wimsatt’s career as he finished 20-of-34 for 236 yards with two touchdowns. Wimsatt, who turned 19 years old this season, didn’t throw an interception.

It was a career-high in passing yards and touchdowns for Wimsatt, a former four-star quarterback.

Rutgers football named team captains for 2022 season

Rutgers football announced the captains for the 2022 season

Rutgers football is relying on a veteran core to provide a lift both on the field for what is still a young and rebuilding team. After a team vote Wednesday, six players will be leading the Scarlet Knights as captains for the 2022 season.

The choices shouldn’t and weren’t a surprise to anyone following this program over the previous two seasons. Each selection has been with Rutgers for at least one season and the group of captains features multiple super seniors.

Quarterback Noah Vedral, tight end Johnny Langan, wide receiver Shameen Jones, defensive lineman Mayan Ahanotu, defensive back Avery Young, and punter Adam Korsak were voted by their teammates to lead the Scarlet Knights into Saturday’s season opener.

Both Korsak and Vedral are used to this honor as both were voted captain last season. The Australia-born punter is now a captain for the third time during his career – the second three-time captain in program history.

That means there are four players who are brand new captains.

Ahanotu is entering his third season with the Scarlet Knights. He has played in 22 games, starting in 10, over the last two seasons and was recently named to the Shrine Bowl 1000.

Jones is now in his sixth season with the program, accumulating 26 starts at receiver in 44 games. He has 86 career receptions for 882 yards.

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Langan has been a jack-of-all-trades for the Scarlet Knights – seeing snaps at running back, receiver/tight end, and even some snaps at quarterback. He was named Rutgers’ MVP for the Gator Bowl last season after hauling in 57 receiving yards, rushing for another 20, and dropping in two completions for 21 yards.

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Young has provided versatility for the defense, moving from cornerback to safety last season. The move paid off as he finished second on the team with 81 tackles. He has been on the field for over 3000 snaps.

Last year’s captains:

  • LB Olakunle Fatukasi
  • P Adam Korsak
  • WR Bo Melton
  • RB Isiah Pacheco
  • DL Julius Turner
  • QB Noah Vedral

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Rutgers football: deep and more talented wide receivers room is battling daily for reps and playing time

Rutgers football finally has some depth at the wide receiver position.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — The addition of two veteran wide receivers this offseason as well as some young, emerging underclassmen has made the wide receiver room a competitive one for Rutgers football. The most senior player in that room, Shameen Jones, sees the competition and depth playing itself out on a daily basis.

Jones is set to enter his fifth season at Rutgers and wide receiver projects to have a significant role in the offense. He does so with some significant talent coming into the room this offseason.

Rutgers added upperclassmen Taj Harris (Syracuse and Kentucky) and Sean Ryan (West Virginia) this offseason via the transfer portal. In Saturday’s first scrimmage of training camp, Jones said that the wide receiver group did a nice job against a seasoned and deep group of defensive backs.

“We had a very back and forth kind of scrimmage. We did a lot of good things executed a lot very well throughout the whole scrimmage,” Jones told RutgersWire on Monday.

“So I think we’re going in the right direction.”

It was a point echoed by head coach Greg Schiano during his weekly press conference. Adding playmakers to the offense was a point of focus this offseason and now with the additions of Harris and Ryan, the returning wide receivers such as Aron Cruickshank and Jones will have some balance to the offense.

“I think we have depth at the wide receiver position, it is just about competition,” Schiano said.

“We generally play three at a time. So who is going to be the first three and then who is going to be the next three that sub in.”

With all this competition, there is an elevated intensity at practice with the group. The wide receivers are under the direction of new positions coach Damiere Shaw.

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Training camp, Jones says, feels much like Saturdays given the competition and battles for playing time.

“I mean, it’s just like a game day, every practice will treat it like a game day,” Jones said.

“You come out and you’d go as hard as you can you make the plays that come to you. And if you don’t, we’ll see what happens.”

Last season, Jones had 35 catches for 334 yards.

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Rutgers football: Shameen Jones continues to impress with his energy, attitude and production

Rutgers football wide receiver Shameen Jones brings veteran leadership to the Scarlet Knights.

Shameen Jones, who first debuted for Rutgers against Princeton in 1869, continues to bring a freshness and energy to the Scarlet Knights despite being one of the elder statesmen of the program.

Jones had a career-high 35 receptions last season, putting together what arguably was the best season of his time at Rutgers. And while he joined Rutgers in 2017, the redshirt season is bringing plenty of enthusiasm and energy as he is set for his sixth season with the Scarlet Knights.

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound wide receiver from Cardinal Hayes (Bronx, N.Y.) has impressed wide receivers coach Damiere Shaw.

“He’s been great, he’s been great. He’s the same guy every day. When you look at him at practice, you don’t see a guy who has been playing [this long],” Shaw told reporters this week.

“He comes out here with a great approach and a great attitude, wanting to learn. He is flying around in the pass game, in the run game. He’s treating every day like this is his first day and he’s trying to make a first impression. I’ve been extremely pleased with his progress, I’ve been extremely pleased with the attitude he’s brought to the room.”

Jones will need to step up this season and continue his production from the past two years. He certainly has experience, having been a starter at Rutgers for three seasons.

Rutgers loses star wide receiver Bo Melton to the NFL draft this year, meaning that Jones and returning starter Aron Cruickshank will need to step-up their output. Melton was the leading wide receiver on the roster last year.

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They will be joined by transfer portal wide receivers Taj Harris and Sean Ryan, both of whom have significant ‘Power Five’ experience.

“There’s a lot of talent in that room and you start with Shameen Jones. He’s a very talented receiver,” Melton told ‘Rutgers Wire’ in a recent interview.

“Then you have Taj Harris, Sean Ryan, Joshua Youngblood, Isaiah Washington. You go down the line-  it is a really, really, really competitive group in there and I’m really excited to see how that shakes out in that room.”

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Big return: Shameen Jones announces he’ll be back for Rutgers football in 2022

Rutgers football is getting big news with the return of Shameen Jones at wide receiver.

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On what might be a big recruiting weekend for Rutgers football, the return of Shameen Jones might be the biggest piece of news for the program.

The senior wide receiver announced via social media on Saturday that he is returning for a final season with the Scarlet Knights. He was second on the team in both receptions (34) and receiving yards (329). Jones had two catches for 40 yards in the regular season finale against Maryland.

The return of the upperclassman wide receiver is big for an offense that is losing its leading wide receiver (Bo Melton) and top rusher (Isaih Pacheco). Both players are declaring for the NFL Draft.

 

Jones has good size at 6-foot-2 and is now Rutgers top receiver on the roster along with Aron Cruickshank. Rutgers likely will be looking to the transfer portal to add at least one other wide receiver to compliment Jones and Cruickshank.

This past weekend, Rutgers hosted two big transfer offensive linemen in Louisiana-Monroe’s Willie Tyler and FIU’s Myles Frazier.