Duff, Raymond Discuss Decision to Return at Big Ten Media Days

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Rutgers wide receiver KJ Duff, along with running back Antwan Raymond and offensive lineman Kwabena Asamoah, had the chance to talk to representatives of the Big Ten Network on Tuesday, July 28, as part of the Big Ten Media Day slate. Most of the questions asked to the players were fairly generic; however, one set of questions gave Duff and Raymond the chance to talk about his emotions during the night he announced his return for the 2026 season.

“It really wasn’t planned,” said Duff about the decision to announce his return during the Rutgers men’s basketball game vs Ohio State. “It just so happened to be the day that I told coach Schiano that I wanted to come back. The basketball team was playing that night so we quickly got it together.

“It was a very cool experience; it got very loud in there once they played the video on the jumbo board. It was very loud in there and very cool to see,” said Duff.

Raymond announced his return on social media, with the caption “Unfinished Business.” Raymond shared what exactly that business was during media day.

“We left alot of meat on the bone, not just me, everybody. The whole team and organization. This off-season we have been taking the steps to become a better team, better organization, so I just thought that there were a lot of things left that I had to accomplish, that KJ and Kobe had to accomplish. So I think I made a great decision to come back to my family,” said Raymond.

Raymond also said that the area he needs to improve the most is his overall football IQ and that he has been working at that all off-season.

Despite Duff and Raymond having tremendous seasons last year, Rutgers still went 5-7 and missed a bowl game. The Knights weren’t the best option in the NIL space either. These two chose to return to the banks despite having plenty of other options in the transfer portal. That says something about Rutgers’ coaching staffs’ ability to cultivate good relationships with its players, an often overlooked factor in the world of the transfer portal and NIL. With Rutgers getting more competitive in those spaces, largely due to the work of Keli Zinn, who is entering her second year as AD, the coaching staffs ability to establish these connections could mean much more for the program in years to come, if the staff can get the team back on track in terms of W’s.

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