With 17 days left before Rutgers opens its 2026 season at home against UMass, the early picture in Piscataway is a little different from the one that closed last year. The Scarlet Knights are coming off a 5-7 finish that ended in a four-point loss to Penn State, but this offseason has brought enough change to suggest the next version of the team may look sharper.
The biggest unknown still sits under center. Rutgers has not named a starting quarterback yet, with AJ Surace and Dylan Lonergan competing to replace Athan Kaliakmanis, who is now with the Washington Commanders.
Kaliakmanis gave Rutgers a big year in 2025, becoming just the third quarterback in program history to throw for more than 3,000 yards in a season. Even so, the offense alone wasn’t enough to push the Scarlet Knights over .500.
Greg Schiano believes the improvements need to come in a few different places, not just one.
"When you look at it as a coach, as a head coach, you look at its scheme, fundamentals and then connectivity," head coach Greg Schiano said on Saturday. "So I think the scheme is really, they're sound and people are really learning it well."
The defense is where the overhaul has been most obvious. Rutgers finished last among power-four schools on that side of the ball a year ago, and Schiano has responded with transfer additions and an entirely new coaching staff.
"The connectivity- playing defense is eleven as one," Schiano said. "You gotta go, like it's eleven guys doing their job, but then you gotta swarm the football.
And when we've had great defenses here, it looks like piranhas, right? And that's what we need to have.
…A lot of times in defense, if you know your job and you go as hard as you can, even if you're not perfect, it kinda works itself out."
The previous setup never found that rhythm. Robb Smith’s return, paired with transfers who failed to meet expectations, helped sink the unit last season. This time, Schiano says defensive coordinator Travis Johansen is steering things in a better direction.
"He's doing a great job," Schiano said of Johansen. "He's a leader. He's a really good football person, really good man, and leading the staff and the players, I'm thrilled."
The other perennial bellwether for Rutgers has been the offensive line. Through Schiano’s return and even before it, the success of the program often seemed tied to how well that group held up.
The Scarlet Knights have produced good linemen, but not an NFL Draft pick there since Anthony Davis went 11th overall in 2010. Kobe Asamaoh could alter that, though Schiano made it clear the line’s outlook is bigger than one player.
"I think Coach [Jim] Turner's doing a really good job with the offensive line," Schiano said. "He's got competition at just about every spot, and he's not afraid to move people around. And I think because he's such a good conceptual teacher, you can do that."
Turner replaced veteran Pat Flaherty in the offseason coaching shakeup, and early signs around the program point to that change paying off. Rutgers won’t have to wait long to find out whether the progress is real, with the season opener now just two and a half weeks away.
In Other News...
Rutgers Just Learned How Tough Pikiells Next Proving Ground Will Be
Rutgers is already getting a clearer picture of what the 2026-27 non-conference slate will look like, and it has the feel of a schedule built to test the Scarlet Knights in a few different ways. There are the usual low-major tuneups, but there are also the games that will draw real attention in New Jersey, including meetings with Seton Hall and Syracuse, plus a trip to the Players Era Eight tournament in Las Vegas that should give the program an early gauge against higher-level competition.
The rest of the calendar is taking shape around that mix, with Rutgers set for 12 non-conference games before diving back into its 20-game Big Ten grind. There are also exhibition dates lined up against Villanova and St. John's, with the latter still awaiting a final date, and that collection of opponents says plenty about the kind of proving ground Steve Pikiell is building for his group before league play even begins. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Nonconference Slate Puts Pikiells 2026-27 Balancing Act On Display
Rutgers has its 12-game nonconference schedule for 2026-27 locked in, and it gives a clear look at how Steve Pikiell is trying to shape the season before Big Ten play even begins. The slate mixes the expected neighborhood dates with a few bigger-stage opportunities, including three games in Las Vegas as part of the Players Era Eight event, plus a trip to the Barclays Center for a matchup with Syracuse.
The rest of the calendar is built to serve more than one purpose, with familiar regional opponents like Seton Hall, St. Peters, NJIT, Sacred Heart and Delaware State sitting alongside heavier tests such as Houston, Auburn and Kansas. There is also the larger challenge that comes with the rest of the schedule, since Rutgers is set for road games against Indiana, Michigan State, Nebraska, Northwestern, Oregon, Ohio State and Washington, a stretch that underscores just how much balancing act this season will demand. [Read more 🡒]