Rutgers Football: Kiy Hester returning to Scarlet Knights in 2018

Rutgers football just got back one of its key players from a year ago. What does this mean for the upcoming season?

In the wake of two players being dismissed and an ongoing investigation into a possible credit card fraud, the Rutgers football program received some good news.

Kiy Hester, a member of the Scarlet Knights last season, has made the decision to return to Piscataway. After the 2017 season, he resolved to transfer to Florida International as a graduate student but he now has the intention of staying close to home for his final year of eligibility.

According to the report by nj.com, Hester was able to easily return to Rutgers because he had been still taking classes at the university. Therefore, he was never actually a member of the Florida International football team.

Hester, a native of New Jersey, was a standout at DePaul Catholic before originally committing to play for Miami. He transferred to Rutgers in 2014 and sat out the season before making ten appearances and starting seven games in 2015 as a redshirt freshman.

From that point on, he was a constant contributor to the defense as a safety. In 2017, Hester played in 11 games and made seven starts at the strong safety position. He finished the season tied for a team-high in pass break-ups (10) and interceptions (three). Last season, he was also named as an honorable mention to the All-Big Ten team.

Hester’s reinstallation will help shore up a Rutgers secondary that has some depth concerns entering training camp. He will also provide veteran leadership and stability in light of the dismissal of starting defensive back K.J. Gray.

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For now, Hester has directly solved one problem faced by Rutgers and if he produces as much as he did last season, Hester’s return could be a pivotal point for the Scarlet Knights’ defense for the upcoming season.