The Monday Morning Kickoff
Training camp is about to conclude at Rutgers as the start of the 2017 season is less than two weeks away. This past week, Rutgers announced its team captains, which consisted of seniors Dorian Miller, Kyle Bolin, Darnell Davis and junior Deonte Roberts.
“It is really a big honor. Coming into this program as an 18-year old and stepping foot in the Hale Center for the first time for summer workouts, you are just trying to get by,” Miller said. “You are just trying to find your way. If you would have told my 18-year old self that I would have been a captain, I would not believe you. But it was putting my head down over time and being a quiet guy, not ruffling the feathers, just going about my business.”
Head coach Chris Ash will meet with the media later today when he will likely announce Bolin as the starting quarterback.
Meanwhile, freshman wide receivers Bo Melton and Everett Wormley continue to impress in the early going and should see their share of reps this season.
“It is definitely a grind. People weren’t joking when they say training camp in college football is a different level,” Wormley said. “It is all about finding a routine. [Head] Coach [Chris] Ash and [Strength] Coach [Kenny] Parker talk about finding that routine and once you get into that, it makes life at camp a little bit easier. You have to get enough sleep, get enough food to eat and once you take care of things like that and get into a routine, things become easier.”
Freshman running back Raheem Blackshear also continues to impress and expects to get a fair amount of run alongside grad transfer Gus Edwards, who is expected to be the starting running back.
“I am happy where I am at right now. I still have a lot of work to do, but I have been getting a lot of good feedback from my teammates and my coaches,” Edwards said last week. “I just want to continue to help get the team better, be a leader and work hard on the field.”
On the recruiting front, Rutgers landed a big commitment last week in Conway (S.C.) offensive lineman Raiqwon O’Neal.
“Rutgers has my major which is graphic design. I like the environment they have both on and off of the campus,” O’Neal said. “Also, I committed because of the relationship between the coaches and their players. I also like how they build their players for life after football.”
Today’s practice will be held at 4:15 p.m. in Piscataway. Be sure to stay logged onto Scarlet Nation for the latest practice report and notes from the sidelines.