One-time safety Sanu closes in on receiving records

If someone told Mohamed Sanu at South Brunswick High School he would eventually be on pace to break a Big East receptions record, his response would be one of skepticism.

“I’m going to play safety,” Sanu said he would respond. “What are you talking about? Do you mean interceptions or tackles, maybe?”

The Rutgers football team’s junior wideout is on pace for 111 catches, which would surpass Larry Fitzgerald’s 92 receptions in 2003 at Pittsburgh.

The mark would also break former Scarlet Knight Kenny Britt’s school-record total in 2008 of 87 catches.

“It would mean a lot, but it would mean more for us to get that Big East [championship] we know we’ve been striving for all season and working toward,” Sanu said. “It would mean something, but I’m not even looking forward to that.”

His 160 career receptions are good for fifth in Rutgers history, and Sanu needs only 48 more grabs to pass Brian Leonard’s career receiving record atop that list.

He has at least five regular season games left this year to reach the mark and a bowl game if Rutgers gets to six wins. He would certainly shatter the mark barring injury if he returned for his senior season in Piscataway.

Before Sanu could worry about becoming one of the conference’s most dangerous offensive threats, he had to master the basics of the position.

So he turned to former wide receivers coach Brian Jenkins and former wideout Tim Brown to simply learn the Rutgers offense as a rookie.

Sanu remained in Brown and veteran Julian Hayes’ ears throughout the course of his freshman season, which culminated with Sanu’s three-touchdown effort in the St. Petersburg Bowl.

Then, Sanu said, he could focus on becoming the best technical player.

Wide receivers coach P.J. Fleck arrived last season, and the pair worked toward Sanu’s goal of becoming a complete wide receiver.

At 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, Sanu has the frame to develop into a consistent blocker and route runner, one of his priorities entering the 2011 season. Sanu insists he gets as much thrill out of initiating contact with a defender or earning a block that spurs one of the Knights’ running backs.

The unselfish play replicates a first-quarter reception, getting Sanu into rhythm, he said.

“If I get that first hit in, that first good play in, I start with a good start and go from there,” Sanu said.

He also wanted to catch 100 passes, he said, but being a multi-dimensional wideout stemmed from an inner desire to perfect Sanu’s craft.

“You never settle for being anything less,” Sanu said. “I’m just that type of person who wants to be the best at everything. If I’m not, I’m going to strive for it.”

Head coach Greg Schiano enjoyed a stable of productive receivers throughout the course of the previous six seasons, including Sanu, Britt, Wright and Tiquan Underwood.

But Sanu’s consistency set himself apart from the rest of the group, despite Britt’s downfield ability, Schiano said.

“Not the big plays yet, and that’s where Kenny set himself apart,” Schiano said. “Kenny was a home run hitter. But Mohamed is certainly performing at a high level.”

Sanu’s 10 catches against Louisville gave him four games this season in which he hauled in double-digit passes.

He caught 10 balls in his first career game, the Knights’ 2009 season opener against Cincinnati.

But in Rutgers’ two losses this season, no other receiver caught more than three passes from either sophomore Chas Dodd or freshman Gary Nova. Sophomore Quron Pratt’s six catches against Syracuse are the most for any Rutgers receiver not named Sanu.

Sanu deserves everything he gets, Nova said. By all indications, he will continue to garner Nova’s attention and rightfully so.

“Mo is a special player, and he’s a great guy, too,” Nova said. “I love playing with him, and he’s probably the most unselfish guy, and I love that about him. He goes out there, [and] he works hard every day.”