What anonymous Big Ten coaches said about Rutgers football ahead of 2024 season

Rutgers football is moving up the Big Ten totem pole, and the rest of the league is noticing.

Months after completing their first winning season in nearly a decade, the Scarlet Knights received plenty of respect from some of the conference’s coaches, who spoke to Athlon Sports as part of the magazine’s preseason preview for the 2024 campaign.

The outlet, which covers every Power Four program extensively, polled coaches around the league, allowing them to speak anonymously and freely about their opponents.

Here is what they said about Rutgers:

Coach 1: “They turned the corner last season, and for the first time since [Greg] Schiano came back, they’re going to have the depth you need to be competitive in the league.”

Note: Rutgers returns 10 senior starters from last year’s campaign.

Coach 2: ”They finished in a spot where they were obviously less talented than the teams they lost to, and they were as good as or better than the rosters they beat. The next phase is elevating in recruiting and pulling that bigger conference win.“

Coach 3: ”They have a really nice stable of running backs and some decent guys have developed at receiver.“

Note: Rutgers returns Kyle Monangai, who led the Big Ten in rushing last season

Coach 4: ”I would say they’re on track to move up a little bit and maybe catch someone by surprise, but they’re still building and still significantly behind the elite of the league.”

Rutgers went 7-6 in the 2023 season, marking its first winning record in nine years. The Scarlet Knights concluded the fourth campaign of head coach Greg Schiano’s second stint at the helm with a historic win over Miami in the Pinstripe Bowl.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.

Brian Fonseca may be reached at bfonseca@njadvancemedia.com.