8/3/2021 football Edit

A full season of preparation on tap during training camp

Craig Epstein • TheKnightReport

Staff Writer

With training camp set to start tomorrow for Rutgers, Head Coach Greg Schiano sees this time of the year as the most important for his team and can feel the jubilation as he enters his second season since his return to the program.

“This is the most important time for every football team, not that the other times aren’t important but I think this is a critical time for our football program,” Schiano said. “I can see the excitement in the building, a couple of the players have already been in to see me.”

With the team’s season-opener against Temple less than a month away, Schiano believes it is crucial to try and get as many quality reps in as possible before school starts in September.

“Our training camp is to prepare for the whole season,” he continued. “We know that Temple is coming on Sept. 2 so about 10 days out is when you go into game-week preparation. Before that, you’re preparing for the entire season so there are some things we’re going to see later in the year that are not customary and we have to make sure we get repetitions otherwise we won’t be ready for it.”

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Schiano echoed the same sentiments for the offensive side of the ball as well.

“The same thing offensively, it’s not necessarily different plays but different things you can do within each play, scheme, and family,” he said. “When your guys are more familiar with it you can do a bunch of different things whereas when you’re learning it you just try to hope that you line up and do it right. I’m a big believer in multiple reps at getting better at something because the team that you’re going against has been doing the same thing so you really have to execute at a high level.”

While a big topic of discussion during the off-season was the health of presumed starting quarterback Noah Vedral, Schiano ensured the QB is good to go along with the rest of his team.

“There’s a couple of guys that’ll be limited because they’re still coming back from something or they tweaked something this summer that is not fully back,” he said. “But overall I’d say we’re in good health.”

On the topic of players, Schiano sees sophomore running back Aaron Young as a guy that will play a big factor in the offense this coming season as he seeks to use him in different roles.

“I think Aaron is really a multiple position guy, he’s a running back but he can go anywhere,” he said. “He’s a very valuable guy to our football team and a really smart player as well so we’re going to lean on him quite a bit.”

Another player Schiano sees a lot of promise in is senior defensive lineman Julius Turner as the Meridian, Mississippi native looks to build upon his 2020 season in which he was named an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention.

“I think Julius in our scheme is a really effective player and he’s had the best offseason he’s ever had in any stage of his career,” he added. “He’s legitimately put himself in a position where he could have a really big year.”

While it would be a notch in the cap for running back Isaih Pacheco to rush for 1,000 yards considering it has not been done since 2012 when Jawan Jamison ran for 1,075, Schiano is more concerned about trying to get him to reach his full potential. He believes he has the tools to be one of the better backs the league has to offer.

“I want to see him do what he's capable of doing, I thought at times last year he did and other times maybe not as much and some of it wasn't directly his fault,” he said. “We have to do a good job up front and then he’s got to trust the plays and be patient and when he does that I think he’s a really big-time running back.”