Following a season where he led the Big Ten with 1,262 rushing yards and helped Rutgers win its first bowl game since 2014, many expected running back Kyle Monangai's next steps to be preparing for football on Sundays. However, he decided to return to the Scarlet Knights with expectations he could help the program reach even greater heights.
"It's like we try to always say, stay where our feet are when so we take a step back and see how far we've come to get to this point, see the fruition of our hard work," Monangai said. "As I said back then, I feel like there was more work to be done and I still believe that. We worked hard this offseason and had a great camp, we're just ready for the season."
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Monangai credited head coach Greg Schiano's vision for the program when deciding whether or not to return
"His vision is to win, he doesn't go into any game thinking we can't win and puts that on ourselves," he said. "If you're going to be in this room and be a part of this program we have to believe that same thing, so everybody's buying into the goal of wanting to win."
He also explained what Schiano emphasizes as a program.
"We take things week by week," Monangai said. "You guys hear us say all the time it's one-week seasons and we're in the Howard season now trying to be 1-0, that just goes each week, and if we put our heads down and focus on each moment at a time and focus on winning that moment and what we're doing we'll be pleased with the results."
Monangai made history last year when he had the first 1,000-yard season for Rutgers since 2012 and tied for the fourth-highest mark in program history. He is looking to make even more history though and have this squad be remembered in the same vein as some of the all-time great Scarlet Knights teams.
"[Schiano] loves to say 'I know you guys are tired of hearing about the past but the past is when we last won,'" Monangai said. "As much as we can say we're tired of hearing about the McCourty twins, Brian Leonard, or Ray Rice, he's right, it's the last time Rutgers was respected on a national scale. We want to get back to that and surpass it, but we have to do things a certain way first like practicing and taking care of our bodies a certain way, but it's a process like anything else we're working towards."
Monangai was selected to the Doak Walker and Maxwell Awards watch lists and became the first Scarlet Knight to earn a spot on the Big Ten Preseason Honors list since joining the league. He was also named preseason All-Big Ten by USA Today (first team), Phil Steele (first team), Athlon Sports (second team), and Lindy's Sports (third team).
Monangai discussed how he is approaching the journey though despite all of the preseason praise.
"I'm just making the most of every opportunity and trying to practice like a pro," he said. "Coach Schiano talks about it all the time, be like a pro now and don't wait to get there, whether it's in extra film, stretching treatment, or taking care of your body, it all plays a part in the success you have and it's something we all pride ourselves on."
Monangai described what went into his breakthrough season and how the other coaches on the staff played a big part.
"I wouldn't say I did anything necessarily differently, I think I just focused on the finer details," he said. "I'm always leaning on coach [Jay] Butler for the strength and conditioning side of things, I know he gets us right for that in the summertime, and then working with coach [Damiere] Shaw on the schematic side of it."
While Rutgers has many players returning from last season, one of the biggest changes will be at quarterback as Minnesota transfer Athan Kaliakmanis takes over for Gavin Wimsatt. Monangai is confident that Kaliakmanis will steer the ship in a positive direction though and complimented the work he put in right away.
"Athan came in from day one and just worked and it shows when you're working hard it's hard to not be able to say this guy is dedicated to what he's doing to his craft and the guys jumped to him right away," he said. "I think it's just an example of him coming in and saying 'You guys don't know me yet but I'm going to prove to you I'm worth your respect with how hard I work' and that's what he did. I think it's a big thing the guys chose him to be a captain and I'm excited for him."
Monangai also discussed the differences between the two signal callers.
"They're two different quarterbacks and I think they have two different styles," he said. "They see the field differently and have different tendencies. I love them both as people off the field, but as quarterbacks, Gavin was more running. They both have great arms so there are some similarities in that aspect, but I have had the pleasure to play with both of them so far."
Along with Monangai and Kaliakmanis, defensive backs Robert Longerbream and Joe Lusardi were named captains along with linebackers Tyreem Powell and Mohamed Toure.
"It's a blessing to know the guys think of me like that," Monangai said. "But now it's time to go do it and lead these guys to the promised land."
Rutgers enters its second season under offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca coming off a year where it was the most-improved team in the Big Ten by total offense (+24.1) and ranked fifth in the conference in average rushing yards per game (168.7).
Monangai expressed how another year under Ciarrocca's system helped Rutgers prepare for the season and the improvements he saw right away.
"It showed from the winter in the offseason," he said. "When you're more comfortable in an offense things click faster and you see things better from a skill standpoint. Even the o-line, they're more confident on calls, communicating things, and being able to say we know what to expect for more explosion and knowledge of the offense."
Monangai is one of several Scarlet Knights picked to the Shrine Bowl 1000.
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