PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Jai Patel has certainly impressed so far this season, the Rutgers football kicker turning in two very sharp performances to start the season.
Named the Big Ten’s Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance on Saturday night against Temple, Patel made a 51-yard field goal in the first half. The kick was the seventh-longest in program history.
On the season, Patel has made four of his five field goals and all six extra point attempts. He has displayed a strong leg and good accuracy since the spring.
Head coach Greg Schiano has seen Patel’s growth since his redshirt season in 2022. Patel is being counted on for a major role this season at Rutgers, one that has been shaky for the program for much of the last decade.
“Yeah, it’s all about you know, chopping your job. He did that,” Schiano said on Wednesday.
“He went out and did what was asked to him he had to. He had three opportunities plus extra points and he was successful on all of them.”
Patel became a fan favorite during his recruitment. As part of the 2022 recruiting class, he was a constant presence at Rutgers home games, often being spotted in the student section cheering on his future team.
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From nearby South Brunswick, New Jersey, Patel’s family has roots in Rutgers as both parents attended the school.
He was recruited by North Carolina State, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina and UPenn among other programs. But at the end of the day, he chose to stay home and he committed to Rutgers during the summer of his senior year.
While Schiano has been impressed with Patel’s performances, it is the display of maturity that is sticking out to him. Being a kicker isn’t an easy job, and a specialist must be strong mentally Schiano said.
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“That’s the toughest part of being a specialist. You literally stand for three hours and 30 minutes, and you perform for if you had totaled the time, probably a minute but when your minute is up, when your moments up, you got to perform and he did,” Schiano said.
“When you do that as a specialist you get noticed. Tough thing is when you don’t do it you get noticed as well. There’s nowhere to hide as a specialist. That’s why I always tell them (that) we call you ‘specialist’ for a reason. Because you’re special. You’re special in that you can do something really well.”