Rutgers Is One Functional Defense Away From a Bowl

Rutgers went 5-7 last season, but there were enough signs of progress to make 2026 interesting. The offense produced a 3,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher and a 1,000-yard receiver in the same season for the first time since 2007, and Antwan Raymond and KJ Duff give the Scarlet Knights legitimate skill talent as Dylan Lonergan steps in at quarterback.

In this Rutgers football preview, we break down whether Greg Schiano's complete defensive overhaul can fix a unit that ranked near the bottom of college football, how much to trust a group of FCS and G6 transfers making the jump, and why the schedule creates a plausible path back to a bowl game.

.

*📧 OUR FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER:* solidverbal.com/newsletter

*☝️ SUPPORT THE SHOW:* verballers.com

*👉 FOLLOW ON YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST APPS:

🍎 Apple Podcasts: apple.co/3r2iQcY
🟢 Spotify: spoti.fi/45NCifc
🟡 Amazon Music: amzn.to/49irJmD
🟧 Overcast: bit.ly/SVOvercast
🎧 Pocket Casts: bit.ly/SVonPocketCasts
📱 Podcast Addict: bit.ly/SVPodcastAddict
📻 CastBox: castbox.fm/vc/2233040

*👉 .ly/46ckydQ

*👕 New Merch:* merch.solidverbal.com