Rutgers offense position-by-position analysis and key names to know

PISCATAWAY – After a long offseason and a long training camp, the Rutgers football season opener is almost here.

The Scarlet Knights will kick off their 2026 campaign Sept. 3 against UMass at SHI Stadium, the first of three nonconference games before the grueling Big Ten schedule begins.

What will this year’s version of the Scarlet Knights look like?

Here’s a position-by-position breakdown of the offense, which is led by coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca:

Quarterback

After a long battle that began in spring practices and continued on through training camp, Dylan Lonergan earned the starting job over AJ Surace.

Lonergan, a Boston College transfer who joined the program in the offseason, is the latest transfer QB after his predecessor, Athan Kaliakmanis, spent two standout seasons with the Scarlet Knights after transferring from Minnesota.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Lonergan, who spent his first two college years at Alabama as a Nick Saban recruit, made nine starts in 2025 at BC, completing 190-of-284 passes (66.9 percent) for 2,025 yards and 12 touchdowns.

It was an up-and-down season for the former four-star recruit from Georgia, but he certainly showed enough to pique Rutgers’ interest when he entered the portal.

What Lonergan clearly has over Surace is valuable game experience – in a season where Rutgers needs to win, that matters.

Surace, in his third year with the program, waited patiently for his chance to start. But in a neck-and-neck competition, Lonergan’s experience could’ve played a major factor. Any first-time starting QB in the Big Ten will face growing pains, no matter how talented they may be.

Could the Scarlet Knights afford those growing pains right now?

Rutgers still holds Surace in high regard. If Lonergan does start to struggle, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Surace get a shot – though Schiano has made it clear he prefers to stick with one quarterback.

Lonergan won the job out of training camp. Now he has to prove he can keep it.  

Offensive line

Rutgers had several spots to fill on the line, particularly at center following the graduation of Gus Zilinskas.

Schiano said following the team’s second scrimmage of training camp that he has a good idea of who the starting five linemen will be, but the first options off the sideline were still coming into focus.

It’s likely Tyler Needham has a strong hold on one of the tackle spots, while Kobe Asamoah has started all 25 games at right guard the last two seasons and is now arguably the best lineman on the team.

Dantae Chin started two games at left tackle last season before suffering a season-ending injury, so it remains to be seen where Rutgers slots him in. Terrence Salami and Hank Zilinskas, Gus’ younger brother, are the leading candidates to replace Zilinskas at center.

Moshood Giwa, who started one game at left tackle last season as an LIU transfer, also returns and could be in the mix for a starting spot.

The second line is where things become murkier – but not necessarily weaker. Schiano has several times said he likes the depth within the unit – and the second line would’ve started over the first line Schiano had when he returned ahead of the 2020 season.

Chris Vigna, Kenny Jones, Nick Oliveira, Emir Stinette and Ryder Langsdale are among the more experienced depth pieces who could see considerable playing time.

In a physically demanding conference like the Big Ten, offensive line depth is critical.

Rutgers – finally – has it.

Running back

This figures to be another strong area for Rutgers with Antwan Raymond returning with talented depth behind him.

Raymond has developed into one of the top running backs in the Big Ten, successfully filling the shoes of Kyle Monangai as the program’s latest 1,000-yard rusher – he ran for 1,241 yards on 244 carries (5.1 yards per attempt) with 13 touchdowns. Raymond also caught 18 passes for 225 yards and two scores.

Keeping Raymond healthy is going to be paramount, which is a big reason why the Scarlet Knights added Louisiana Tech transfer Clay Thevenin in the offseason. Thevenin, who started out at Navarro College (JUCO) before Louisiana Tech, rushed for 634 yards and eight touchdowns last season. Now he gets a big opportunity in the Big Ten.

Ja’shon Benjamin, who had 328 rushing yards and two touchdowns last season, also returns and figures to receive a large share of carries.

Edd Guerrier also returns as one of the experienced running backs, while Rutgers this summer also added Aiden Gibson, who flipped from Penn State and committed to the Scarlet Knights while reclassifying to join the program in time for training camp.

Tight end

This unit’s frequently been in flux in recent seasons – injuries played a significant role in that.

Rutgers this offseason brought in Ball State transfer Kam Anthony, a 6-foot-5, 255-pound Indiana native who made 10 starts last season and made seven catches for 117 yards and two touchdowns.

Logan Blake is one of the most experienced tight ends on the roster and will likely see considerable playing time. The 6-foot-6, 265-pound Blake played in 10 games last season, while Don Bosco Prep grad Mike Higgins returns for a fifth season as another veteran option.

Wide receiver

This is another deep, talented position group – and it’s not hard to see why.

At the top of all of it is KJ Duff, who’s become one of the top wide receivers in the country and has a strong chance at becoming a first-round NFL Draft pick.

The 6-foot-6, 225-pound Duff had 60 catches for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns last season. Duff led the country with 22 contested catches, per Pro Football Focus, and he was third in the Big Ten with 90.3 receiving yards per game.

Aside from Duff, Rutgers features Ben Black III, who’s in his third season with the program, and then a group of young, talented receivers who showed flashes last season and then had strong training camp showings.

That group includes Jourdin Houston, who has a real shot at making a big impact this season, Vernon Allen III and Michael Thomas III.

Two true freshmen to keep in mind are Dyzier Carter and Elias Coke. It’s unclear how much they’ll play this season, but wide receivers coach Dave Brock isn’t afraid to deploy true freshmen if he feels they can help.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Rutgers offense position-by-position analysis and key names to know