Three key storylines for Rutgers football at Big Ten Media Days

CHICAGO – Before Rutgers football takes the field next week for the start of training camp, coach Greg Schiano and three of his top players will be representing the program at Big Ten Media Days, the conference’s annual event to kick off the season.

Along with Schiano speaking to the media on Tuesday, July 28 (the first day of the three-day event) will be star wide receiver KJ Duff, running back Antwan Raymond and top returning offensive lineman Kobe Asamoah.

All three players will play vital roles in helping the Scarlet Knights try and rebound from last year’s 5-7 campaign.

At Year 7 of the Schiano 2.0 Era, it’s imperative for Rutgers to show that progress.

Another losing season would be a major disappointment.

Can the Scarlet Knights avoid that fate? That’ll likely be a popular topic this week here in Chicago.

So will the quarterback competition between Boston College transfer Dylan Lonergan and AJ Surace. But while not impossible, it's highly unlikely Schiano will be naming a starter this week before camp even begins.

Here are three more storylines the Scarlet Knights will likely address:

1. Increased resources

This might be the seventh year of Schiano’s return, but this was the first offseason where Schiano had the support from the administration and the type of resources he needs to at least be more competitive in the transfer portal and with player retention – that’s a big reason why he was able to bring Duff back.

Athletic director Keli Zinn and her regime have made NIL fundraising a top priority, something predecessor Pat Hobbs failed to come close to doing. Is Rutgers where it needs to be?

Almost certainly not. That will take time.

But there’s no question Schiano has more to work with – and perhaps most importantly, he doesn’t have to lead the fundraising charge by himself anymore.

Given the infusion of resources, it’ll be interesting to hear Schiano’s view on the health of the program and its potential going forward.

2. The revamped defense

This will be a topic Schiano will address – no member of the defense will be attending media days. That’s partially because of the amount of turnover within the unit, but also because at this point there’s no definitive leader or spokesman for the defense.

Regardless, the defense needs to improve under new coordinator Travis Johansen, whom Schiano brought in after firing co-coordinators Robb Smith and Zach Sparber.

The unit was one of the worst in the nation last season, a major disappointment considering defense has long been a strength for Schiano’s teams.

It was also a major disappointment because of the weapons Rutgers flashed on the other side of the ball – playing complementary football was impossible.

Make no mistake, Rutgers does have talent on defense. A lot of it’s young talent.

It also brought in multiple transfers, including Toledo transfer defensive end Malachi Davis, who has NFL potential.

So the pieces are there for improvement.

How quickly Johansen and his coaching staff can get the unit to show that improvement remains to be seen.  

3. How will KJ Duff and Antwan Raymond follow up on their breakout years?

Duff is officially one of the top wide receivers in the Big Ten.

With that comes lofty expectations.

It was a major victory for the Scarlet Knights to be able to retain him – nothing is guaranteed in the transfer portal era, especially given the limited resources Rutgers previously had to work with.

But while Duff’s friend and former high school teammate Ian Strong transferred out (California), Duff opted to stay home.

He finished the season with 1,048 receiving yards, one of just three players in the Big Ten to hit that mark.

This is an opportunity for Duff to continue to boost his NFL stock.

Same goes for Raymond, the latest running back to develop into a star for the Scarlet Knights.

Raymond rushed for 1,241 yards last season, doing a stellar job stepping into the starting spot following the departure of Kyle Monangai, now with the Chicago Bears. This will be a big chance for Raymond

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Three key storylines for Rutgers football at Big Ten Media Days