Kyonte Hamilton talks playing two sports, versatility along defensive line
With football season set to kick off on Sept. 3 against Boston College, Rutgers is looking for a big year out of sophomore defensive lineman Kyonte Hamilton and hoping he can once again translate his talents from the wrestling mat to the gridiron.
“It's kept me active and in shape, it's been a good experience and the rest of the season last year was a great experience,” Hamilton said. “Staying here over the course of winter just kept me in shape for spring ball. I got here in the summer so it's good to be back out and still be in the best shape possible.”
Hamilton appeared in all 13 games for the Scarlet Knights last season with one start on the defensive line. For the season, he totaled 22 tackles with two for loss.
Now heading into his second year under head coach Greg Schiano, Rutgers is hoping Hamilton can take that next step for a defensive line that will be without Mohamed Toure for the season due to an injury he suffered during spring camp.
“I'm just one of the versatile guys that listen to whatever the coach wants and tells me,” he said. “I pick up on things pretty quickly so I just try to play wherever they tell me and just be the versatile guy.”
The Scarlet Knights see big things in Hamilton’s future as he finished the 2022 campaign with eight solo tackles and three stops with one for loss in his team’s 38-10 loss to No. 20 Wake Forest in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
“It feels pretty good but I don't want to get a big head though so I try to keep my head down, stay focused, and just keep working,” he said. “I love to hear stuff like that but I don’t want to let it get to me.”
The District Heights, Maryland native also has confidence if the Scarlet Knights need to move him around in order to keep others fresh, there will not be much of a dropoff in skills or ball awareness.
“It's kind of the mindset of I can learn things pretty quickly and I know myself and am confident in my ability to learn the playbooks and positions,” he said. “I think it's pretty good for me as a player and being that guy that can do whatever he needs and play anywhere.”
While at some point Hamilton will once again have to trade in his helmet for a singlet, right now his focus is on one thing: football.
“Right now I'm kind of just focused on football, I don’t really pay attention to what's going on in the other,” he said. “I love the guys wrestling, working with them, and the experience I had last year but right now it's just football mode so I keep focused on that.”
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