Rutgers Football building quality depth at linebacker
Linebacker was a sore subject for the Rutgers football team last season. During the spring, it went from a position of potential to one that was ultra thin with Moses Walker and Mohamed Toure both going down with injuries that would keep them out for the entire summer and fall.
Now, both of those players are back alongside returning starters Tyreem Powell and Deion Jennings. So are a couple players such as Jamier Wright-Collins and Dariel Djaobome who got their feet wet. Plus, Rutgers added a couple LBs in the 2023 recruiting class in Abram Wright and Davoun Fuse.
“Our guys have done a great job and we definitely feel like we have that depth and versatility this year. We have guys we can put in different situations,” linebacker coach Corey Hetherman said. “Our guys have attacked getting cross-trained and building depth at multiple positions.”
Jennings is the veteran of the group back for a sixth year. The 6-foot-1, 230-pounder from Timber Creek High started 11 games last year and earned the Homer Hazel Award as the team’s MVP. He registered a team-high 91 tackles and 8.5 tackles-for-loss, ranking seventh in the Big Ten with 8.3 stops per game. He also had six pass breakups with a sack. This was after being named the most improved player on defense in April of 2022.
Jennings finally got his chance after shaking off injuries earlier in his career and waiting behind a litany of other linebackers.
“Deion does everything from attacking practice, to the way he chops through everything, he trusts his teammates, and does everything he can to get better. You saw his confidence go up at training camp and even more during the weeks in the season. He’s stepped up that leadership role more and has been more vocal. He’s taken off.”
Powell played in 13 games in 2021 with three starts as a little preview on what was to come a year ago where he started all 12 games. He made 71 tackles with six for a loss and three sacks. Powell is up 6-foot-5, and 240-pounds after being listed at 235 last fall.
“Our strength coaches did a really good job in the weight room for Tyreem,” Hetherman said. “They got him bigger and able to bend better. His confidence level, leadership, and communication are up. Year No. 2 in the defense has helped him too with his confidence and trust. He’s elevated and his eyes and pad level eyes are faster.
"Every rep our guys get is crucial. It’s so valuable. All those Big Ten reps, and situations, he has that film now. He’s going to be a much different player. We’re going to build on it and help him play faster.”
Jennings and Powell each gained valuable experience in 2022 playing against Big Ten opponents and playing a countless number of snaps.
“I think that was huge,” Hetherman said. “They hadn’t played much and they stepped up. Early on they weren’t prepared and didn’t handle situations well, but they learned. They improved during the season and worked at it. They communicated a lot better and helped the defense.”
Walker was a player everybody was excited for given he was a four-star recruit and highly ranked position wise coming out of high school. Walker worked hard in the fall to get himself ready to go this spring.
“Moses is full-go,” Hetherman said. “We’re really excited to have him back. During the fall he did a good job in the weight room working on himself and studying the plays so when he got back in, he knew his job and his assignments. He came back well prepared and has had a good spring. There are certain reps where he hasn’t seen a look or it was the first time he’s done something, but he bounces back the second time and is on top of it. Every day we're on his technique and fundamentals and he’s getting better and better. Really excited about him.”
Toure was just starting to really come on and a breakout year was potentially coming last season before a knee injury in the spring. He had recorded 4.5 sacks in both 2020 and 2021 where he played in every game.
Hetherman said he is lining up at multiple spots and defenses are going to have to know where he is at all times.
“Having a guy with that much experience is huge,” he said. “He’s come back and we’re playing him at different positions. He’s getting cross-trained to have that versatility and offenses aren’t going to know where he’s lined up. That’s huge for us. Coach (Joe) Harasymiak does an awesome job putting our guys in the best roles. He works with the younger guys.”
Hetherman also credited the older linebackers passing along their knowledge to the younger guys both on and off the field. He cited Wright, Wright-Collins, and walk-on Timmy Hinspeter among other players having good springs.
Thursday marked the 14th and final practice ahead of the Scarlet-White spring game on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. inside SHI Stadium in Piscataway.
“We attacked the spring and we’re going to make sure we finish strong on Saturday,” Hetherman said.
Follow Chris Nalwasky on Twitter @ChrisNalwasky.
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