Rutgers Football names captains for 2018 season
Rutgers Football officially announced on Friday evening the six players who were voted to be the Scarlet Knight’s team captains for the 2018 season. Here is a look at the 2018 captains:
QB Giovanni Rescigno
The past two seasons have been pretty interesting for Rescigno as he didn't start either season as the starting quarterback, but he finished both seasons as the teams starting quarterback. Last year, he played in nines games and stared seven of them on the year. In those seven starts, Rescigno helped lead the team to three Big Ten conference wins vs. Illinois, Purdue, and Maryland.
CB Isaiah Wharton
A leader in the secondary, Wharton has long been a staple of the defense. The redshirt senior has started in twelve games each of the past three seasons and will agin be one of the leaders on the defensive side of the ball. Last season he totaled 40 tackles and nine pass breakups.
OL Tariq Cole
Cole has been a mainstay in the Rutgers offensive line over the past two seasons. Throughout his three years of playing at Rutgers so far, Cole has appeared in 31 games and started on the offensive line in 23 of them. The past two seasons, Cole was voted on by the coaches of the Big Ten as an honorable mention for the All-Big Ten preseason teams. He was also named All-B1G Third team by Athlon Sports this upcoming season. As said before, Cole has been one of the consistent starters among the offensive line so no surprise here when it was announced he was one of the captains.
S Saquan Hampton
Last season Hampton started seven games at free safety and totaled 38 tackles and three pass breakups. Hampered by injuries each of the past two seasons, Hampton has stayed the course and is fully healthy heading into his final season as a Scarlet Knight.
LB Deonte Roberts
Roberts was voted again by the players to be a captain for the second time in two years. Over Chris Ash's tenure at Rutgers so far, Roberts has been arguably the most consistent at the linebacker position. Since Coach Ash took over Roberts has started all 24 games at the middle linebacker position and expect him to make another 12 starts at the position this season. Last season Roberts had 104 tackles on the season with a game high of 16 tackles vs. Michigan State.
OL Jonah Jackson
Jackson may be the biggest surprise on the list but there is no doubting his leadership qualities. He's taken on a leadership role along the offensive line this summer and has put together a strong camp so far. It looks as though Jackson has solidified the right guard spot where he played last season after returning from an injury.