Rutgers has two familiar names on the Comeback Player of the Year watch list, with offensive lineman Dantae Chin and linebacker Moses Walker both earning spots on the list released by College Sports Communicators, The Associated Press and the Fiesta Bowl Organization.
The award, which has been around since 2018, honors college football student-athletes who have worked their way back after injury, illness or other circumstances.
Chin is heading into his fifth year in the program and brings 19 games of college experience with him, along with six starts on the offensive line. Two of those starts came at left tackle in 2025, and both were wins to open the season.
Last year, the Weston, Florida native appeared in all 13 games and started four times at left guard, a stretch that earned him a No. 19 ranking among Big Ten offensive guards by Pro Football Focus. Chin is now in the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology after finishing his undergraduate work in labor and employment relations.
Walker also enters 2026 as a fifth-year Scarlet Knight, and his résumé is just as sturdy. He has played in 29 games over the past three seasons and has seven starts at linebacker.
His biggest moment last season came in the opener against Ohio, when he piled up a career-high 13 tackles, including two for loss, to lead the team. The Staten Island, New York native played in 25 games across the previous two seasons and saw action in both the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl and the Rate Bowl.
Walker is currently in the Graduate School of Education after earning his undergraduate degree in labor and employment relations.
Rutgers opens its season Thursday, Sept. 3, against UMass at SHI Stadium. The 6 p.m. game will be on Big Ten Network.
The rest of the 2026 schedule includes a Friday, Sept. 11 trip to Boston College on ESPN2, a Saturday, Sept. 19 home game against USC at 3:30 p.m. on CBS, and a Friday, Sept. 25 matchup with Howard at 7 p.m. on Big Ten Network for R Community Day featuring Eric LeGrand's "A Walk to Believe." Homecoming and Family Weekend brings Indiana to town on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 8 p.m.
The Scarlet Knights also visit Maryland on Saturday, Oct. 17, with a start time no later than 5 p.m., travel to Northwestern on Saturday, Oct. 24, host Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 31, go to Wisconsin on Saturday, Nov. 7, welcome Nebraska on Saturday, Nov. 14, and close the regular season at home against Michigan State on Saturday, Nov. 28. All of those Big Ten games are marked with an asterisk.
Season and single-game tickets for all seven home dates are on sale. Rutgers says season ticket holders can also get an exclusive chance to buy season parking on Busch campus within walking distance of SHI Stadium, along with a payment plan option and other ticket offers during the year.
In Other News...
Rutgers Is Quietly Fixing A Game Day Headache Fans Know Too Well
Rutgers is making a run at one of the most familiar frustrations around SHI Stadium, announcing a series of football gameday changes for the 2026 season aimed at smoothing out traffic, parking and pedestrian flow. The university said the updates are meant to improve the experience from the moment fans arrive through the time they head home, a sign the school is trying to chip away at the bottlenecks that can make a Saturday in Piscataway feel longer than it should.
Among the changes are revised traffic patterns and parking adjustments designed to better manage the postgame rush. Rutgers is also adding a new support operation for fans inside the stadium, with a gameday help presence backed by a helpline and email option, giving visitors a clearer place to turn when questions or problems come up during home games. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Is Making A Big Game Day Change Fans Will Notice
Rutgers Athletics is rolling out a new game day service called R Guest Services, a move designed to make life easier for fans heading to Scarlet Knights events. The unit is meant to provide information, directions and real-time support, with a broader goal of improving communication and the overall experience at Rutgers athletic venues.
The change goes beyond a simple help desk. Rutgers is also reworking traffic patterns and parking processes on game days, while adding a courtesy shuttle for fans using the outer lots. For a fan base that has long had to navigate the usual stadium-day headaches, it is the kind of behind-the-scenes adjustment that can matter just as much as anything happening on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Offense Could Showcase Something Rare In The Portal Era
Rutgers could be headed into the 2026 season with an offense that looks a little different from the modern norm. Early indications suggest the Scarlet Knights may line up with a roster built mostly from players recruited out of high school, giving the program a homegrown feel at a time when many Power conference teams lean on the transfer portal to patch holes and chase immediate upgrades.
The depth chart is still taking shape, but the possibility alone says a lot about how Rutgers has been building. In an era when roster turnover is constant, an offense driven largely by players who came in together and developed inside the program would stand out, and it would give the Scarlet Knights a chance to show how far that approach can go once the games start. [Read more 🡒]