Kyle Flood gets his fourth season as the head coach at Rutgers started this week after the longest winter weightlifting cycle of his tenure in Piscataway.
The first year in the Big Ten taught Flood and the rest of the Scarlet Knights that they would have to beef up to better contend with some of the rushing attacks in their new league. He said his players set 19 program records in the weight room this winter and are ready to see how that will translate to the field.
“That's exciting, but now we've got to take advantage of the progress we've made in the weight room and on the turf,” Flood told reporters Friday.
Rutgers finished 8-5 last season, but will need a productive spring if they hope to improve that record in their second season against a tough schedule in the Big Ten.
Spring schedule: Last but not least, Rutgers is the final Big Ten team to get spring practice underway. They took the field for the first time in 2015 on Monday morning. The Scarlet Knights will squeeze 15 practices into the next 26 days, concluding with a Friday night scrimmage April 24.
What’s new? Eleven starting positions are up for grabs this season at Rutgers. Flood said there are more players in the running to contribute this season than with any of his previous teams. It might physically be his strongest group yet, but they will need to find ways to make up for a lack of experience at several key positions. Returning senior wide receiver Leonte Carroo and defensive lineman Darius Hamilton will need to lead while younger players get settled into their new roles.
Biggest question: One of those positions lacking experience is quarterback. Finding an answer under center will be a top priority for the Scarlet Knights this fall. Gary Nova's four tumultuous years as the team's starting quarterback are over. That period wasn’t without spring quarterback battles, but the competitors usually had experience. Only one quarterback in this year’s group -- redshirt sophomore Chris Laviano -- has played in college. He’s joined by redshirt freshman Giovanni Rescigno and Hayden Rettig, who is eligible this season after transferring from LSU at the end of his freshman year.
Flood didn’t rule out the possibility of figuring out his starter by the end of April, but isn’t a rush to name his quarterback yet. Laviano will start the spring getting first-team reps and the others will get their shot as spring rolls on.
“Some days one guy could get more, some days another guy could get more,” Flood said. “For the players who have never played, a guy like Hayden, a guy like Gio, it's going to be a little bit dependent on how fast they can come along.”
Three things we want to see:
1. Develop a running back pecking order. Five running backs had more than 60 carries at Rutgers last season, and all five are back again this year. Redshirt senior Paul James will be the top option, but he’s recovering from ACL surgery this spring. That gives the other four a chance to sort out who will be getting carries when James needs a break and who will have to wait a little longer.
2. Solidify the interior defensive line. Flood believes the defensive line can be a strong point of the 2015 team. They have the athletes and the strength to compete in the trenches, but finding a reliable rotation in the middle is an important step this spring. Hamilton returns at defensive tackle and he’ll be in charge of helping redshirt sophomore Sebastian Joseph and redshirt freshman Kevin Wilkins get comfortable at noseguard. If Rutgers wants to improve on the program-worst 2,760 rushing yards it allowed a year ago, those young guys will have to be a force in the middle of the line.
3. Find replacements on the offensive line. Three of the five starters that need replacing on offense are linemen. The trio leaving started 113 games in their combined careers. The remaining stalwart for this group is fifth-year left tackle Keith Lumpkin, who considered leaving for the NFL this offseason. Finding bodies among the team’s 10 healthy linemen to fill the vacancies next to Lumpkin is an important goal this spring. Allowing that group to develop some chemistry in the offseason could be a difference-maker for the Rutgers offense.