RUTGERS: NEW QB, NEW ERA

Rutgers used to be in the basement of the Big East Conference. They would lose games to West Virginia, Miami, and Virginia tech by ridiculous margins. That all changed when they got a new coach and a new quarterback. Mike Teel was the much heralded QB from Don Bosco Prep. He came in and immediately changed the culture of Rutgers football. Now with Teel in the NFL who does Schiano look to? Who is going to be the next QB to lead Rutgers back to a bowl game?

Coach Schiano brought a winning attitude and a lot of change to the Rutgers football program. He came in and immediately changed how they recruited and where they recruited, Schiano new that you can not just recruit in the tri-state area and expect to compete with the athletes that teams like South Florida and West Virginia were recruiting. So he changed it up and went down to Florida and started visiting the top prospects in the nation. Rutgers now has Athletes at there skill positions. This was evident when their top two wide receivers both went into the NFL this year.

The other problem was that Rutgers was not keeping the in state talent. A lot of the top New Jersey products were leaving for teams such as USC and Ohio State. The first goal of Schiano’s recruiting process keep the talent in the state. They were losing guys like Dwayne Jarret, USC, and Brian Toal, Boston College. Schiano wanted to change that, he wanted players to be proud to say that they were being recruited by Rutgers and were excited to commit.

The first big splash was the signing of Don Bosco Prep star Mike Teel. Teel never lost a high school game and was one of the most prolific passers in the state of New Jersey. It was a major signing for a couple of reasons. The first it was really the first major talent to stay in New Jersey and play for Rutgers. The second Schiano had his QB for the next four years and every coach knows you need a good QB to succeed. Teel would come in his freshman year to rotate in and get a few snaps. His sophomore year was the year that everything changed at Rutgers. Since the signing of Teel Rutgers has went to 4 straight bowl games. In 2005 they lost to Arizona State in their first bowl game in over 25 years. They have won three bowl games in a row including last year where they beat an ACC power in NC State.

Teel has moved on now from Rutgers for the NFL, 7 th round pick by the Seattle Seahawks. The hole left by Teel has Schiano searching for the next QB of Rutgers who will carry on the winning ways that Rutgers has been used to for the past four years. No one wants to go back to those years of one win or no wins. With an extension being put on to the stadium and a brand new training facility for the football team, there is a little pressure on Schiano to see if he can make this team work. It was easy when you already had your QB in place, but now there is a little uncertainty to see if this team is good enough to overcome that. For the first time in four years people are not sure if Rutgers can keep winning.

> Find a great selection of Rutgers Scarlet Knights merchandise and more online along with Big East football gear from Big East Fans partner sites.

The search for a quarterback began last year with the recruiting process. When they got recruit and highly touted prospect Tom Savage from Springfield PA. A big thick QB could possibly step in to be the starter right away, although not likely the case. According to Schiano he is going to institute a less vertical offense and rely on the running game more, the team’s strength. Schiano has said after the spring workouts that he is leaning towards giving the job to SR. Dominic Natale with DC Jefferson a very close second. DC Jefferson was very highly touted out of South Florida and is looking to snatch the QB job from the veteran QB’s Rutgers has. Jefferson also has to look in his review mirror because Savage is on his way and looking to make an impact right away.

In any case Rutgers will have a very inexperienced QB at the helm whether it’s a senior in Natale, a sophomore in Jefferson, or a freshman star in Savage. That’s what happens when you have a five year senior leave for the NFL. Rutgers obviously is about to embark on a new era, hopefully for the sake of the school and Schiano they find a way to replace the leadership and the winning mentality that Teel brought to the team.

By: Timothy Stamoutsos
BigEast-fans.com Rutgers Correspondent