Rutgers football, Greg Schiano living up to 'developmental program' mantra
One of head coach Greg Schiano's favorite Schianoisms is, "We're a developmental program."
While many fans might be sick of hearing Schiano say this and may have thought that Schiano was trying to justify his lack of success so far, Rutgers' developmental program has been on full display this season, especially in its Homecoming win against Michigan State.
The Scarlet Knights (5-2, 2-2) improbable comeback victory over the Spartans (2-4, 0-3) was powered, in part, by a 148-yard rushing performance from junior running back Kyle Monangai along with six receptions and 80-yard receiving game from senior wide receiver Christian Dremel. Both Monangai and Dremel led Rutgers in rushing and receiving, respectively, against Michigan State.
Monangai and Dremel are also both poster players of Schiano's developmental program.
Coming out of Don Bosco Preparatory School in Ramsey, New Jersey, Monangai was a three-star recruit who had only one other Power Five offer other than Rutgers. Monangai was rated as the 160th-best running back recruit in the 2020 class by 247Sports and was not even the starting running back on his high school team. Instead, he split work with Jalen Berger, who was seen as the more talented running back and was rated as the 20th-best running back recruit in the 2020 class by 247Sports.
When Monangai arrived on the Banks, he played behind former Rutgers running back and now Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco for two years. While he started 11 of the 12 games last year, Monangai was still primarily splitting work with then-talented freshman running back Samuel Brown V and then sophomore running back Al-Shadee Salaam.
This year, though, Monangai has made the backfield his own and has become a workhorse running back. Monangai has seized his opportunity and is at the top of the Big Ten in rushing yards while averaging 5.3 yards per carry. While watching the defense play from the sidelines on Saturday, Monangai probably noticed his former high school teammate Berger serving as the backup running back for Michigan State.
Monangai may not have been the highest-rated running back recruit out of high school and has not been the day-one starter for Rutgers. Still, he patiently waited his time and developed, and when the opportunity presented itself, Monangai seized, or dare I say, chopped the moment.
Dremel also played for Don Bosco Preparatory School but was not ranked as a high school prospect and joined the Knights as a preferred walk-on in the 2019 class. It would have been fair for most fans not to have noticed Dremel's commitment and not have expected much, as most walk-ons do not play significant snaps for their team.
In his first four years on the Banks, Dremel played on the special team's and would occasionally line up at wide receiver, making a couple of catches every year. Many walk-ons would consider that amount of playing time a success, but Dremel was unsatisfied and elevated his game this year.
Dremel worked his way up to being a starting receiver, often playing in the slot, and has excelled in his role. Dremel leads Rutgers in receptions and receiving touchdowns and is second on the team in receiving yards. He has been one of junior quarterback Gavin Wimsatt's favorite targets on the field.
There is no better representation of Schiano's developmental program than Dremel. Though Dremel had to wait four years to get a significant role, once he worked his way up to a starting role, Dremel hasn't looked back.
"When I look at those two guys, I feel really good because they are doing all those things and improving every day," Schiano said about Monangai and Dremel. "They are leaders in our program, so it's cool to see that develop over time."
On the defensive side, junior defensive back Robert Longerbeam has been debatably the Knights' best cornerback, and against the Spartans on Saturday, Longerbeam had two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and a pass breakup.
Coming out of T. C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia, though, Longerbeam was a three-star recruit, and Rutgers was his only Power Five offer. On joining the Knights, Longerbeam waited two years before becoming a consistent starter, but once he became one like Monangai and Dremel, he shined.
Rutgers' starters against the Spartans were filled with lower-rated and under-recruited players who have developed and shined during their time on the Banks. These starters have been the backbone of what is shaping to be the Knights' best season since 2014.
So maybe Schiano was right — Rutgers is a developmental program, and it seems many of those players have started to fully develop.
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