RUTGERS

Updated: Jul. 27, 2023, 8:20 a.m.
By Brian Fonseca | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
INDIANAPOLIS — At this time a year ago, as training camp prepared to get underway in Piscataway, Rutgers was already reeling.
The Scarlet Knights suffered significant injuries during the previous spring, with linebackers Mohamed Toure and Moses Walker suffering torn ACL’s in back-to-back practices that guaranteed they would not participate in the 2022 campaign.
Then, in the midst of training camp, Rutgers lost veteran quarterback Noah Vedral to a thumb injury that plagued him throughout his final season of college football. And what followed was a season that saw 16 major contributors — 18.8% of their 85-man scholarship limit — miss at least one game with injury.
A year later, as Rutgers prepares to open training camp next week, things could not be much more different.
The Scarlet Knights are not without injury — head coach Greg Schiano confirmed Wednesday that cornerback Fitzroy Ledgister is out for the season with an Achilles injury and that former four-star offensive lineman Jacob Allen will not be ready until mid-season at the very earliest — but their core is currently in the clear.
“We’ll have some things that guys are working through at the beginning of camp, but as we sit here today, we’re in a much better place,” Schiano said.
The good news: running back Samuel Brown, who suffered a season-ending foot injury during a breakout performance against Indiana, will be a full-go to start camp, Schiano said. As will wide receiver Naseim Brantley, who missed spring camp with injury.
The Scarlet Knights will knock on wood that the trend continues in camp. But they will also take measures to be sure of it: Schiano alluded to sparing some of his proven veterans from too much training camp action.
“That’s going to be critical,” Schiano said of staying healthy. “Think of it as a pipeline: if some of the younger guys get bumped, that’s not impactful because you have another young guy. Some of the more developed guys get bumped, that’s more impactful. I think that’s true for every program, but I think it’s especially true of ours, which is okay as long as you understand that. We have to protect our guys who have played over 1,000 snaps, 1,500 snaps. Do they really need to go scrimmage live? If you’re at the scrimmage and think ‘why is he not playing?’ It’s because he’s played a lot of scrimmage snaps, and games. We have to make sure he’s ready to play on the 3rd (of September). That’s not easy as a coach, because what do you want to do? You want to get them better and better and better. How do you do that? You practice, practice, practice. You just got to be smart with what they do.”