This unit was a strength for Rutgers football last season, but can it improve in 2024?

PISCATAWAY – Before Colin Ferrell ever met with Rutgers coach Greg Schiano and defensive coordinator Joe Harasymiak, before he had ever even known the Scarlet Knights were hiring a defensive line coach, he already had a good understanding of the players he’s now coaching.

About a year ago when he was the defensive line coach at Kent State, Ferrell did a study on similar defenses to the one Golden Flashes were adopting.

That included Rutgers.

What Ferrell saw on tape impressed him.

“We were studying different things,” Ferrell said. “I actually reached out last year to ask questions on why they do this and why they do that, so with that you just see kids that pop off the tape. At the time you don’t know what the future holds. You’re just pulling plays to show your current players.”

That background knowledge helped Ferrell, hired in January to replace Marquise Watson as Watson moved to an off-field role, jump into his new role leading the Scarlet Knights’ D-line, a unit that must replace two starters but returns solid talent and depth and could be poised to again be a strength in 2024.

Colin Ferrell, a Hamilton native, is entering his first season as the Rutgers football defensive line coach.

But that’s not to say there isn’t room for improvement when it comes to the pass rush. Rutgers registered 21 sacks last season, second-to-last in the Big Ten.

“We need to improve on what we did last year,” Schiano said. “We didn’t play up to our potential last year. Not even close. We need to have a better pass rush, with just a three-, four-man rush. We can’t have to dial blitz up all the time to create pressure.”

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/unit-strength-rutgers-football-last-115034988.html

Author : App.com | Asbury Park Press

Publish date : 2024-04-08 11:50:34

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