Future of Rutgers Football: Special teams
The old football adage goes, "special teams make special plays." Few coaches in the sport live by this saying more than the Rutgers football team's head coach Greg Schiano. With the annual Scarlet-White Game coming up on Saturday, The Daily Targum previews the 2024 special teams group in the final edition of Future of Rutgers Football.
Since his head coaching career began with the Scarlet Knights in 2001, Schiano has always tried to get a leg up on the competition with special teams. Rutgers has blocked 70 kicks under Schiano, ranking among the nation's leaders.
Schiano is also fearless in bringing out the trickery on special teams. He famously ran a fake punt and fake field goal in 2007 en route to a massive upset over then-No. 2 South Florida. All in all, his attention to detail on special teams almost always helps him and his team gain an advantage over opponents.
The current special teams roster is mostly set, despite a big opening at a key position. Flynn Appleby was set to take over for the second consecutive season but chose to leave the team just before spring practices. Appleby had a solid 2023 season, taking over for the NCAA's all-time punting yards leader Adam Korsak. Appleby's average of 38.8 net punting yards ranked 66th in the Football Bowl Subdivision. He did have a highlight-reel moment when he ripped off a 75-yard punt against then-No. 2 Michigan.
So where do the Knights go from here?
Sophomore placekicker and punter Michael Hartshorn is the lone punter on the roster. He joined the program as a walk-on, and his status in a potential starting role is unknown.
Rutgers has also been poking around in the transfer portal, as it offered former Furman punter Ryan Leavy in January while Appleby was still on the roster. Leavy ultimately committed to Duke, but it showed Schiano was interested in other portal targets. He has not publicly offered any others since then.
Another avenue Schiano can navigate is tapping back into Prokick Australia, from which both Appleby and Korsak came to the Banks. It will be interesting to see how Hartshorn performs in the spring game, but Schiano will likely bring in another punter before the 2024 season officially kicks off.
Contrasting the punter position, the Knights' kicker spot is one of the most stable on the team.
Junior placekicker Jai Patel returns after a strong first season as the starting placekicker, including converting a program-record 83.3 percent of his field goals. He was also named an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention by coaches, Third Team All-Big Ten by media and was the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week in September after converting three field goals against Temple. He converted 33 of his 34 extra-point attempts and also showed some range, hitting two field goals from more than 50 yards out.
The main question for Patel is how he will perform in kickoff duties, as former placekicker Jude McAtamney held that role over the past two seasons. Either way, Patel will likely be a fixture of the kicking unit for the next few years.
One of the more underrated positions on special teams is the long snapper. Rutgers had a rotation of senior long snapper Michael O'Connor and Jake Eldridge share duties on punts and placekicking attempts. Eldridge medically retired as spring practices began, so O'Connor is the only returner.
Schiano did bring in a long snapper from the portal, though, as senior long snapper Austin Riggs joins the program from Brigham Young University, where he was the Cougars' primary long snapper for four seasons. Riggs brings plenty of experience and stability to the position after a sometimes-rocky 2023 season of long snapping on the Banks.
Another special teams aspect Schiano takes great pride in is the return game. The 2023 campaign oftentimes saw inconsistent punt and kickoff returns, especially given the newer touchback rules making returning kickoffs more risky.
Rashad Rochelle, now with Indiana State, won the job to start the season but had trouble holding onto the ball. Senior wide receiver Christian Dremel eventually took over but was mostly relegated to fair catches with his strong hands. Dremel may be the favorite to win the job again, but other contenders, such as freshman wide receiver Ben Black and sophomore wide receiver Dylan Braithwaite could break out after training camp due to their elite speed.
With the spring game approaching and the 2024 season drawing near, there is plenty of optimism around the Knights. Attention to detail is always the backbone of the team, and Schiano does excellent work building special teams and special players to make special plays.
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