The Monday Morning Kickoff
Spring practice is now a third of the way completed at Rutgers as Saturday marked the team’s first full intrasquad scrimmage under new head coach Chris Ash. Afterward, Ash did not meet with the media, but offensive line coach AJ Blazek did and offered his thoughts on how the O-line performed.
“The last two drives were good because the energy lifted on our sideline,” said Blazek. “That was really the difference. We have been preaching that to them; the energy, the juice. You gotta have it. If something goes bad, you can’t mope for two or three plays.”
For more of the standout plays and players from the Saturday’s action, check out Scarlet Nation’s scrimmage notes.
There were also a good deal of recruits on hand inside the practice bubble, which included some quarterback prospects.
"It's was great loved the energy and intensity. The offense stood out,” said St. Peter’s Prep junior Johnathan Lewis. “They are throwing a lot and I love that."
Lewis has become a prime recruiting target for Rutgers and the same goes for Tayvon Bowers of Bishop McDevitt (Harrisburg, Pa.), who was also in attendance.
"I had a great time, my mom came with me this time. I wanted her to see it and she loved it, so that plays a big part in this entire process,” Bowers said. “I spent some time talking to Hayden Rettig. I talked to a lot of the coaches throughout the day. And I really liked how up tempo everything was. Everything was very fast and competitive."
A class of 2018 quarterback target was also on the sidelines as DePaul’s Shelton Applewhite continues to hear quite a bit from Rutgers.
“They want me on campus more and they want me to stay in touch as much as possible because they don't want other top schools to get my attention,” Applewhite said.
Rutgers will retake the practice field on Tuesday and Thursday this week before scrimmaging again next Saturday as position battles will continue on both sides of the football.
The quarterback position remains the most anticipated battle as Chris Laviano continues to take the most first-team reps. The linebacker battle is also heating up as sophomore Najee Clayton is showing a lot of promise as the first-team strongside linebacker.
“He is very athletic. The way we are using our SAM, with all the spread offenses that are out there right now, that guy is kind of a hybrid between a linebacker and a safety,” defensive coordinator Jay Niemann said of Clayton. “He possesses really good movement skills. Obviously having been a safety, that is going to serve him well moving into the linebacker spot.”
Meanwhile, junior TJ Taylor is back and shaking off the effects of last year’s torn ACL and is steadily working in at the weakside linebacker spot.
“I am getting my football legs back and I am just glad to be out here with my friends and teammates,” Taylor said last week. “Medically, I am healed. It is just a matter of me getting used to being out here. I am running around and I feel comfortable. I am still getting my football legs back.”
Keep it logged on Scarlet Nation for all the latest team and practice news throughout the week.