5/26/2020 football Edit

Specials teams to remain a strong spot for Rutgers football next season

Chris Nalwasky • TheKnightReport

Beat Writer

Adam Korsak is pound-for-pound one of the best players on the Rutgers football team. The wizardry of what he can do with the ball when he punts it is magnificent.

Korsak can boot it high in the air for 50-plus yards, he can kick it low with some English, and he can down it soft and perfectly deep inside enemy territory. Last season, the three-time Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week and Ray Guy Award semifinalist ranked 15th nationally and set the Rutgers record for the second year in a row with a net punt of 41.5 yards. He averaged 43.8 yards-per-kick, the third highest in program history on 76 attempts with 31 downed inside the 20-yard line, 18 inside the 10-yard line, and nien inside the 5-yard line with just two touchbacks. He also kicked 12 at least 50 yards and three 60 or more with a long of 69. No punts of his were blocked and he forced 33 fair catches and there were no returns on 56 of his attempts.

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“I think he's outstanding. He's got a multitude of kicks that he can execute,” Rutgers new special teams coordinator Adam Scheier told TKR during a video call on Wednesday. “Great with ball placement, great with operation time, he's got a great feel and I know he's gonna be a weapon. Our punt team's goal is to play great defense, that's it. I mean it doesn't mean we're not gonna play great offense with our punt team if the situation calls for it, but we're gonna play great defense. We're gonna flip the field in backed up situations or regular field situations. It's that team mentality, that complimentary football of what can the punt team do to help the defense out. Number one, we want to flip the field and number two, we want to limit return opportunities, and I think his ability with ball placement, hang time and operation time he's going to do that. And then the last thing, and he's pretty proficient at it, you know, if we happen to stall near midfield, our ability to execute and pooch punt will allow our defense to defend 90-plus yards.

"I think he's tremendous in that phase of the game and that's going to be critical as we create that domino effect of great play on special teams leads to better field position for that side of the ball leads to the next possession being a positive one for Rutgers. He's outstanding and excited to work with him. I know he's going to help our team.”

Scheier is in charge of the unit that returns the long snapper (Billy Taylor), punter, and kicker (Justin Davidovicz) from the field goal/extra points and punting operations.

Taylor’s name is rarely mentioned as he’s been clean with his snaps and Davidovicz nailed 11-for-155 field goals in 2019 with a long of 50 yards. He went 10-for-12 from 40 yards or closer while also making all 18 extra points and handling kickoff duties.

“I think it's a bonus coming into a program with upperclassmen and in this case senior returnees at the specialist positions -- kicker, punter and long snapper. Those guys have been great,” Scheier said. “They've got experience and it's my job to build a relationship with them to continue to develop trust. Trust will lead to confidence and get them to play at a higher level.”

In 2018, Scheier was the special teams coordinator at Texas Tech where he earned a Broyles Award nomination as the Red Raiders were one of three schools to have a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award and the Ray Guy Award. Scheier also led some of the country’s best special teams units at Wake Forest as the Demon Deacons finished fourth nationally in net punting in 2014 and eighth in 2015 and found success at Bowling Green as well.

Scheier also has been on staff working with special teams at Princeton, Lehigh, Ohio State, and Mississippi said and believes Davidovicz, Tayor, and Korsak, as good as they’ve been, can be even better under his watch.

“I mean, as good as Korsak was a year ago, I think he can be better and some of the things that we're going to do are going to make that happen,” Scheier said. “I believe Taylor's a great leader in our position room and he's a great leader on a team. Gets after in the weight room. He's obviously good at what he does. He's confident. Justin, I think he's a really, really talented kicker. And I think over time the relationship that I build with him, which is kind of one of the things that I hang my hat on is 20 plus years as a special teams coordinator working with kickers is just developing the mental side of it. That starts with developing a strong relationship with him, which leads to trust, and when he walks on the field knowing that I trust him, it's a different sense of confidence that he approaches that kick with and that's tough. It's an ongoing process. It got a little bit interrupted with coronavirus and being separate but you know we're doing all we can FaceTiming each other, making up for that relationship building process.

“That was a long answer but I'm fired up to work with the three of those guys. They've been in the battle before they're battle tested in the Big 10 and I think they'll be real leaders in our special teams phase.

Korsak, a native of Melbourne, Australia, remains at Rutgers in New Brunswick due to travel restrictions. Scheier says Korsak continues to work with what he has available to him and he is forming his relationship with him every day.

“No, he's still living in New Brunswick. So he's just like every other player is, back at home or at their off campus apartment. So, contact with him is daily,” Scheier said. “He's getting this working from an academic standpoint, from a strength and conditioning standpoint, from a skill specific standpoint football wise. Obviously the relationship that I've developed with him is still day to day.”