Rutgers is heading into 2026 with an offense built around two young stars who have already forced their way onto the national radar.
Junior wide receiver KJ Duff and junior running back Antwan Raymond are expected to anchor a Scarlet Knights attack that could become one of the Big Ten’s most dangerous units. For Rutgers, the appeal is simple: a breakout receiver and a proven back giving Greg Schiano’s team a different kind of identity on offense.
Duff’s rise has been hard to miss. CBS Sports named him one of the 26 top national offensive weapons for the 2026 college football season, ranking him 11th on the list.
The 2027 graduate is coming off a huge 2025 season, when he played in 12 games and earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors after catching 60 passes for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns. One of his signature moments came at Purdue, where he set a program record with 241 receiving yards in a road win.
That production has pushed Duff onto several national award watch lists for the 2026-27 season, and he continues to draw attention from scouts and local media as he prepares for another big year.
Raymond gives Rutgers another serious weapon. The 20-year-old from Montreal, Quebec, arrived in 2025 and immediately delivered, rushing 244 times for 1,241 yards and 13 touchdowns while also adding 18 catches for 225 yards and two scores. His first season in a Scarlet Knights uniform earned him the Jon Cornish Trophy as the NCAA’s outstanding Canadian football player, along with Second-Team All-Big Ten honors at running back.
Both players have also shown up on multiple lists of top national players globally for the 2026 season, and they were recently included among the top players in EA Sports College Football 27.
For Rutgers, the message is clear: the Scarlet Knights are leaning on Duff and Raymond to drive a high-powered offense in 2026, with Big Ten production and a possible postseason run in Piscataway in view.
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