While the tumultuous 2020 season on the field came to a close last Friday, the players and coaches are going through exit interviews to put the final stamp on the year.
The talks between both sides are a little different this time around as seniors have a chance to return to school due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the blanket waiver provided by the NCAA giving everyone an extra year of eligibility.
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Thus far, it is public knowledge that All-Big Ten linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi, wide receiver Bo Melton, and defensive tackle Julius Turner are coming back to the Rutgers football team 2021. TKR reported that punter Adam Korsak is likely to return as well while safety Brendon White and defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour are off to the NFL Draft
“Was certainly very pleased that '03' decided to return next year. I thought he really had a tremendous season,” head coach Greg Schiano said Monday. “And as I said to you guys many times he established a work ethic that I think the rest of our football team can aspire to. And to have him coming back again as a returning captain, I think that really says a lot. I think that we're going to do things to help him improve as much as we can and take his game to another level which would really be great for our program and certainly great for him.
“Brendon white, I'm excited for him. I know this is a dream of his. He is going to attack it the same way I've seen him attack everything in his career. We'll be here to support him. He'll be back for pro days and things but I know where he's training and all that stuff so he and I stay in touch, and we'll keep pushing them along and help them get to what his goals are.”
There are a slew of other seniors who still have to make decisions such as linebackers Tyshon Fogg, Tyreek Maddox-Williams, and Rashawn Battle, tight end Jovani Haskins, cornerback Tre Avery, offensive lineman Nick Krimin, and others and Schiano gives them both sides of the coin and one thing is for sure, the individual has to want to come back and be fully committed.
“I don't try to talk people into that. I think it's really hard to play college football in our program if you don't want to do it. I will educate them for sure if it's an NFL decision. I always try to give him the good, bad, and the ugly of what could happen. Having been in that league and coaching two different times, I have tools and information for them. But ultimately, they have to make that decision,” Schiano told TKR. “For some it's time to get a job. So I think everybody has their own individual situation and that's why we don't rush out here. We have exit meetings. Everything in our program is very much on a table so they're much like a family and we discuss it all, then every single person has to make the decision they feel is best for themselves. That's why I leave it to them and when they decide to come back then they are all in. If they're coming back it's not half foot in half foot out. You have to be all in.”
The exit interviews are nothing new, but detailing with an added year is unique.
“Well certainly it's a different deal when all of a sudden the NCAA says everybody has another year. So it does change the dynamic a little bit. And everybody's at a different place including myself,” Schiano said. “We try to put them in this box if you're a senior or junior. Everybody's got different life situations, just like we all do. And I think all those things come into play and the thing that pleased me in our exit interviews is that our players trust us and have grown to trust us in the year we've been together to kind of rip it open and share what they're thinking. What we do is we just give it to them straight and I try to try to give them any advice that I'd give my own sons. I learned a long time ago that, sometimes what's best for the program isn't best for the individual and vice versa. But what I try to do is approach it as if I'm talking to my sons and give them the advice that I would give them. And that's been pretty good to me in the last 10 or 15 years so that's how we approach it and that's how I asked our coaches to approach it.”
Schiano called it an “interesting situation” with the fact that teams will have seniors returning, the transfer portal is growing rapidly every day, and figuring out scholarship numbers going forward will be tricky.
“There's an entire group of young men that would be given another year of eligibility,” Schiano said. “So this year, the seniors guys with one year of eligibility remaining, they are not going to count on our scholarship total in the 2021 season, but after that there's been -- at least I'm not aware of -- anything done that makes any accommodations. You have this whole class of people that have another year of eligibility. You're allowed 85 total. Something's got to give. So I do think that it's an issue right now having places for guys to land. I think it'll be a much bigger issue a year from now, when there is no accommodation for the extra year of eligibility. It has the makings to be a real let's call it an interesting situation.”
Follow Chris Nalwasky on Twitter @ChrisWasky.
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