Saturday Blitz
Fansided

Rutgers Football: Can Scarlet Knights get to a bowl game?

By Chris Peterson

Dec 12, 2020; College Park, Maryland, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights head coach Greg Schiano walks onto the field during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 12, 2020; College Park, Maryland, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights head coach Greg Schiano walks onto the field during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 4
Next

Rutgers football exceeded expectations in a big way last season, so can Greg Schiano and the Scarlet Knights do it again? 

When Greg Schiano took over Rutgers football for the second time, it seemed like a monumental task.

The Scarlet Knights had never had success in the Big Ten and the glory days under Schiano seemed like a long way away.

But if anyone knows how to win at Rutgers, it’s Schiano, which is why it was smart to pay up and get him as the head coach, as well as the investment in resources he wanted.

The results so far speak for themselves.

Last season, Schiano led Rutgers football to a 3-6 record, which doesn’t sound great, unless you consider that those three Big Ten victories matched the same number of conference wins Rutgers had from 2016-2019.

In other words, Schiano won as many Big Ten games in his first season as the previous staff won in four years. And, his recruiting has been off the charts.

After signing the 42nd ranked class in 2021, Rutgers football is currently ranked 14th in 2022 according to the 247 sports team rankings. Schiano has landed four players rated as four-star recruits and a top-100 quarterback in Gavin Wimsatt.

This incoming class has multiple four-star signees and Rutgers was again busy in the transfer portal, adding six new guys to the roster, with five of those coming from FBS programs.

There is no doubt that Schiano has Rutgers football headed in the right direction, the question is, what does all that mean in 2021?

Here’s a breakdown of the offense, the defense, and some predictions for Rutgers football this season.

Home/Big Ten