One week to go.
The Rutgers football team held its second scrimmage of spring practice on Saturday inside SHI Stadium. The scrimmage lasted over three hours, but head coach Greg Schiano was satisfied with how the team fared.
“It was a long one, and I was very pleased our guys kept their focus,” Schiano said just outside the bowels of the end zones. “We’re playing three and a half teams (starters/backups/reserves) out there. You play some and then you watch. They were focused and concentrated. It sounds easy, but it’s not.”
DON'T HAVE TKR PREMIUM? SIGN UP TODAY FOR JUST $9.95/MONTH!
The quarterback competition between Gavin Wimatt and Evan Simon are ongoing. Each had their moments in scrimmage making good plays. The gusty winds played a role in some miscues.
“I thought they both did a good job. They missed a couple things, but I think they’ve made progress,” Schiano said. “Today wasn’t easy if you were going into the wind. Anything over six (MPH) was affected.”
Schiano also talked about freshman Ajani Sheppard who enrolled early this spring out of high school in New York. While it is fair to say he is not in the mix to start just yet, he’s developed over the last couple of weeks.
“I think he’s really improved by leaps and bounds. It’s good to see,” Schiano said. “For a freshman QB out of high school there is so much to learn. The game I’m sure is fast for him, but you see when he gets it, he’ll be a good player.”
There is still no timetable for when a starter will be named, and it is a good bet that won’t happen until sometime in the summer.
“I think what we’ll do at the end of spring is Kirk (Ciarrocca), the offensive staff and I will sit down and go through the numbers and go with what you feel. There’s no timeline,” Schiano said. “I would like to name a starter sooner rather than later, but we’ll figure that out. They’re doing a good job though. I’m pleased.”
Asked what other position groups or players stood out in the scrimmage, Schiano lightheartedly said he has the worst seat in the house to tell and deferred the answer to a certain TKR reporter, possibly one who is writing this piece.
Offensively, running back Aaron Young and wide receiver Isaiah Washington are two players who are stepping up. Young missed a lot of time last year with injuries from the end of the 2021 season as well as those sustained during the fall. Washington is looking to put it all together and is one of the older guys in the room now that needs to replace production.
“Aaron is getting back to himself after coming off the injuries,” Schiano said. “I think he’s running more aggressively than I’ve seen. Hats off to coach (Damiere0 Shaw and everyone in the running back room bringing that aggressive style to their runs.
“...[And] I think the guy who has performed at the most consistent level and who has been a leader at wide receiver is Isaiah Washington. He has stood out. We have a bunch of young wide outs, and consistency is the key.”
Speaking of wide receiver, Aron Cruickshank is now off preparing for the NFL Draft after being the team’s punt and kick returner the last three seasons. Those two jobs are still up for grabs with Rashad Rochelle possibly being a front runner.
“I think that’s wide open. There’s a lot of guys,” Schiano said. “Rochelle has ability, Max (Melton) wants to do it, but I don’t think I want to risk him running kickoffs back. We’ll make sure we have depth there. Punt returning is the toughest thing to do in football. Everybody is running down to hit you and the ball is spinning in a weird way. That’s a tough job, and we have to find someone there. Kickoffs, the ability to break one might be different, but securing the ball is not as hard.”
Four weeks and 12 practices (including two scrimmages) are in the books. There are three sessions in total left prior to the Scarlet-White Spring Game next Saturday at 3:00 p.m. No coach is going to be completely content with player performance and such, but the team has improved, per Schiano.
“We are seeing progress. We have some guys who are bumped up. It’s not going to be long term,” Schiano said. “We have two more practices and then the spring game. It’s a big week. We have four weeks now of cumulative work, and now we have one more.”
OTHER QUOTES FROM THE DAY
OL Curtis Dunlap
“I think we’ve made progress. Coach Schiano talks about loving practice and how practice is everything. As an older guy, I understand we don't get a lot of opportunities and you have to put your best foot forward. We only get 15, so we have to use every piece of our time to prepare us. These scrimmages are invaluable. You have to the competition and the reps. We have fun and let it rip.
LB Deion Jennings
“It was good. The defense came out with energy and we flew around. It’s always good seeing that.”
Follow Chris Nalwasky on Twitter @ChrisNalwasky.
--------------------------------------------------------------
• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
