2023 College Football Catalog: Previewing the Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Josh Frey
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Just like the NFL season is right around the corner, college campuses are preparing to welcome back their football squads for the fall season. As the summer progresses we will be taking a look into how many of the FBS college football programs fared in 2022, what they did during the offseason, and how they can find success during the 2023 season.
As we continue our tour through the Big Ten, we wrap things up today by covering the final team of the conference: the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
Overview
2022 Results
- W @ Boston College, 22-21
- W vs. Wagner, 66-7
- W @ Temple, 16-14
- L vs. Iowa, 10-27
- L @ (3) Ohio State, 10-49
- L vs. Nebraska, 13-14
- W vs. Indiana, 24-17
- L @ Minnesota, 0-31
- L vs. (4) Michigan, 13-52
- L @ Michigan State, 21-27
- L vs. (11) Penn State, 10-55
- L @ Maryland, 0-37
Overall Record: 4-8 (1-8)
All-Big Ten Members
- DL Aaron Lewis (Coaches Third-Team)
- P Adam Korsak (Coaches Second-Team, Media Third-Team)
- KR/PR Adam Cruikshank (Coaches Third-Team)
Recent Vikings Draft Picks
N/A
Every Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Draft Pick
2023 Draft Selections
- R6, P202: DB Christian Braswell (Jacksonville Jaguars)
2023 Schedule
- 9/3 vs. Northwestern
- 9/9 vs. Temple
- 9/16 vs. Virginia Tech
- 9/23 @ Michigan
- 9/30 vs. Wagner
- 10/7 @ Wisconsin
- 10/14 vs. Michigan State
- 10/21 @ Indiana
- 11/4 vs. Ohio State
- 11/11 @ Iowa
- 11/18 @ Penn State
- 11/25 vs. Maryland
Notable Additions
- WR Naseim Brantley (transfer portal, Western Illinois)
- TE Shawn Bowman (transfer portal, Maine)
- IOL JaSire Patterson (four-star recruit)
- DT Isaiah Iton (transfer portal, Ole Miss)
- CB Eric Rogers (transfer portal, Northern Illinois)
- S Michael Dixon (transfer portal, Minnesota
- CB Charles Amankwaa (transfer portal, Akron)
Recruit/transfer information can be found at 24/7 Sports
Notable Losses
- WR Sean Ryan (eligibility)
- WR Aron Cruikshank (eligibility)
- TE Matt Alaimo (transfer portal, Coastal Carolina)
- TE Johnny Langan (eligibility)
- IOL Willie Tyler (transfer portal, Louisville)
- DB Christian Braswell (NFL Draft, Jacksonville Jaguars)
Keys to 2023
Keep Building Off Improvements
Greg Schiano entered a very difficult situation when he became Rutgers’ head coach back in 2020. The program was coming off three double-digit loss seasons in three of their past four seasons, but just three years into his tenure, he got them into a bowl game in 2021 and has won at least four games in back-to-back seasons amidst a very difficult Big Ten-East division.
Many of the improvements made to this point have come on the defensive side of the ball, particularly in 2021 when they allowed 25.6 points per game. Even in 2022, though, Pro Football Focus gave them the eighth-best defensive grade in the conference. With seven starters set to return from a year ago, they have the building blocks in place to be even better this season.
Will Gavin Wimsatt Prove Himself as the Starting QB?
After being the backup for his freshman season, four-star recruit QB Gavin Wimsatt got his chance to enter the starting lineup for the final five games of his sophomore year in 2022.
There were peaks and valleys in that season, and the QB struggled with his accuracy, completing fewer than 50% of his passes in four of those five games and ending the year at 44.8% and throwing for 757 yards, 5 TDs, and 7 INTs.
It appears that the program is rolling with Wimsatt to start the 2023 season, but he will need to prove himself, otherwise senior backup Evan Simon is waiting in the wings to take that starting spot back.
Rebuilding the Receiver Room
Making things just a touch more difficult for Wimsatt at QB is the fact that Rutgers will have to replace their top three receivers from a year ago. All three of Sean Ryan, Aron Cruikshank, and Johnny Langan left the program, meaning the Scarlet Knights must replace 1077 yards of production (over 50% of their total receiving yardage) and 7 TDs. Transfer Naseim Brantley should help in that department, but will he be enough? Only time will tell.
Prediction
- W vs. Northwestern
- W vs. Temple
- L vs. Virginia Tech
- L @ Michigan
- W vs. Wagner
- L @ Wisconsin
- L vs. Michigan State
- W @ Indiana
- L vs. Ohio State
- L @ Iowa
- L @ Penn State
- L vs. Maryland
Overall Record: 4-8 (2-7)
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.