Rutgers Football 2026: Defense Is the Key to a Bounce-Back Year

Heading into 2026, Rutgers football will look to take a step forward after finishing 5-7 a season ago. While the Scarlet Knights showcased one of the Big Ten's more productive offenses, defensive struggles ultimately kept them from reaching bowl eligibility. Head coach Greg Schiano enters his 18th season overall leading the program and his seventh consecutive year since returning to Piscataway. As the Scarlet Knights prepare for the new season, Schiano emphasized that defense will be the program's top priority heading into 2026.

“What we need to do is we need to get better at taking the ball away,” Schiano said at Big Ten Football Media Days presented by Discover. “We need to get better at defense, period.” 

Last year it was defense that held the Scarlet Knights back, allowing 31.8 points per game, which was one of the highest in the Big Ten. 

A key piece on the opposite side of the ball will be junior running back Antwan Raymond, a preseason All-Big Ten and third team All-America honoree. After rushing for 1,241 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2025, Raymond established himself as one of the Big Ten's premier backs, highlighted by a dominant 240-yard performance in a victory over Maryland. Schiano said Raymond’s ability to learn helped him get to this point.  

“He learned from the best in Kyle Monangai,” Schiano said. “He saw what the standard is, and now he's trying to emulate that and really learning as he goes.” 

Raymond too credited the current Chicago Bears running back Monangai for helping him during his collegiate career. 

“He was one of the leaders that didn't have to say too many words,” Raymond explained. “I would take all the little gems and nuggets I could take from him. I tried to apply that last season, and I think that I had great success doing it.” 

Raymond also explained how in 2026 his goals are team-oriented rather than chasing personal feats.  

“(The) expectation for me is to win,” Raymond said. “That's number one on my list. The priority for me is to win… I definitely think we have the firepower on offense and on defense to do so.” 

At quarterback, there is an ongoing competition between redshirt sophomore AJ Surace and Boston College transfer Dylan Lonergan. Schiano has made it clear throughout the summer that the competition is far from over and will continue throughout fall camp. With several weeks of practices still ahead, the Scarlet Knights will give multiple quarterbacks an opportunity to earn the job before settling on a Week 1 starter. Although Schiano did not tip his hand towards a starter, he gave Surace’s work ethic a nod of approval. 

“AJ, in his own right, grew up in a football family,” Schiano said. “This kid is obsessed and works very very hard… I think AJ is kind of a rare worker in his own way.” 

Although Surace has appeared in limited game action, the coaching staff has been encouraged by his development since arriving in Piscataway. He saw action in 2025, completing 4 of 9 passes for 58 yards and two touchdowns while gaining valuable experience from offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca throughout the season. While the stat line is modest, Surace enters 2026 with a stronger grasp of the offense and an opportunity to establish himself as the face of Rutgers' attack. Lonergan, on the other hand, has more in-game experience as a former top recruit for Nick Saban at Alabama. The veteran spent last season in the ACC at Boston College where he threw for 2,025 yards and 12 touchdowns. Lonergan and Surace will continue to battle as fall camp begins. 

Rutgers enters the 2026 season with plenty of reasons for optimism. The Scarlet Knights return one of the nation's top running backs in Raymond, welcome back an experienced coaching staff led by Schiano, and have an opportunity to build on an offense that showed flashes of explosiveness a season ago. If Rutgers can pair offensive consistency with improved play on the defensive side of the ball, the Scarlet Knights have the pieces to return to bowl eligibility and emerge as one of the conference's most improved teams. With a favorable blend of veteran leadership and young talent, 2026 could mark another important step forward for the program under Schiano. 

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