Back in early January, Rutgers Football made the decision to hire former Scarlet Knights wideout Tiquan Underwood as the team’s new wide receivers coach.
Underwood spoke with the media on Thursday via a video call to discuss his return to Piscataway, his past experiences and what he expects from his unit.
“Thanks for having me today guys," Underwood said via video conference call. "I'm just excited to be back here at Rutgers under coach (Greg) Schiano and his great staff. Just looking forward to getting on the field with our guys for the first time and going out there and putting out a great product that Rutgers will be proud of."
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Coach Underwood went into a little more detail about his return to the Banks and how excited he is to work for his former head coach.
"I couldn't write a better script, it's like a dream come true to come back home and come to New Jersey and coach where I played at under the coach I played for," said Underwood. "Coach Schiano has been coaching for a long time and to be bale to learn from him on a daily basis has been awesome and it's just been a dream come true honestly."
As a former player under coach Schiano at both the NCAA and NFL level, Underwood understands what it takes to be successful for one of his teams and feels he can help his current wideout group do the same.
“I want all of my guys to be fearless," he said. "I want them to play fast and I want them to be fearless and that that starts with knowing what to do. You have to study the playbook and you have to put in that extra work. As all of you guys know, when I came to Rutgers, I wasn't a high star or high caliber player and even playing in the NFL, I wasn't an All-Pro or Pro Bowler. I had to work for everything that I got. If you put in the work, it will pay off, but you have to put in the time. Whether that's studying the playbook, throwing with the the quarterbacks, doing rice bucket routines, you have to put in the time greatness doesn't happen overnight."
This year’s Scarlet Knights wide receivers will feature some of the same faces along with some new ones as well.
“What's cool about this opportunity is that they all start with a fresh slate," said Underwood. "Anything that they did In the past doesn't matter, It's our job here as this new staff to get these guys prepared to play games, whether that's in the fall or the spring, whether it's all Big Ten or our regular schedule. It's our job to get them prepared and that's what we are going to do. Since I've been here they all have worked very hard and they've been grinding and the fact that they try to do what you've been teaching them is all I can ask for as a coach."
Stay tuned for more on Underwood and Rutgers Football news right here on The Knight Report!
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