Rutgers has turned to a mix of proven producers and key special teams pieces for its 2026 leadership group, naming five captains: wide receiver KJ Duff, offensive lineman Kobe Asamoah, linebacker Sean Allison, STUD Jesse Ofurie and long snapper Michael O’Connor.
Duff enters the role after a big season that put him among the Big Ten’s most dangerous receivers. He finished with 60 catches for 1,082 yards and seven touchdowns, and his biggest night came against Purdue, when he caught 6 passes for 241 yards and a score.
He also led the nation last year with 22 contested catches, according to ProFootballFocus, and his top reception total of the season was 7 against Iowa for 92 yards. His production earned him second-team All-Big Ten honors.
Asamoah brings an equally decorated résumé on the offensive line. He started all 12 games at right guard last season, was chosen as a Second Team All-America by ESPN and received honorable mention All-Big Ten recognition from the coaches and media. His offseason has only added to that profile: he was placed on The Athletic’s “Freaks List” and named to the preseason First Team All-America team by Pro Football Network.
Allison joins the captain group after transferring to Rutgers this offseason following a standout year at Drake. He played in 12 games last season and piled up 126 tackles, 8 tackles for loss and two sacks. That production landed him as a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the best FCS defensive player in the country, and he was also voted Pioneer Football League Defensive Player of the Year.
Ofurie earned his spot after appearing in all 12 games last season for Rutgers, where he handled much of the special teams work and finished with 5 total tackles. He was also mentioned multiple times during the offseason as a player to watch this year.
O’Connor rounds out the group as the team’s long snapper.
In Other News...
Rutgers Fans Are Facing The Greg Schiano Question Again
Greg Schiano is back in the familiar spot Rutgers fans know all too well: the season has barely started, and the conversation is already shifting from results to his future. Now in his seventh year of his second stint in charge, he enters 2026 with a 31-41 record in this return engagement, a number that has kept the scrutiny around the program from ever really going away.
The latest jolt came in the season opener, when Rutgers lost to UMass after falling behind by 17 points at halftime against a team carrying a long active losing streak. For a fan base still measuring progress against expectations, the larger issue is now unavoidable again because Schianos contract carries a buyout that would cost the school about $17.3 million if he were let go at seasons end. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Just Opened The Season With A Loss Fans Cant Ignore
Rutgers opened the season with a result that will linger well beyond Week 1, falling 37-21 to UMass in a game that the Scarlet Knights were expected to control. The Minutemen arrived carrying a 16-game losing streak against FBS opponents, but they played with far more edge than the odds suggested and put Rutgers in an early hole that never really disappeared.
Pop Watson was the spark for UMass, guiding an offense that found rhythm through the air and enough movement on the ground to keep Rutgers from settling in defensively. The Minutemen also tightened up in a way that changes the conversation around them after a rough run of seasons, getting into the backfield consistently and creating problems all afternoon, while Rutgers is left sorting through how a season-opening setback like this happened so quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Week 1 Opener Carries One Betting Assumption Fans Should Notice
Rutgers heads into its Week 1 opener against UMass with the kind of setup bettors tend to circle early in the season, especially in a slate where several games are being sized up through the lens of roster changes and coaching adjustments. The Scarlet Knights are part of a three-game betting breakdown that also leans over in Georgia Tech-Colorado and points in UAB-Illinois, but the Rutgers angle is the one most tied to how cleanly the matchup lines up on paper.
The broader case around this game is built on Rutgers personnel advantages and the way UMass projects defensively, with the Scarlet Knights expected to find enough separation to make the number manageable. There is also one matchup note worth watching for those who follow the betting market closely, since Rutgers has a receiver who could create problems for the Minutemen secondary and tilt the game script early. [Read more 🡒]