Rutgers wrestling is adding another heavyweight to its 2026-27 home schedule, with Lehigh set to visit Jersey Mike’s Arena on Sunday, Nov. 15.
The matchup brings back a series that has been around for a long time and has been quiet for a while. Rutgers and Lehigh haven’t met since the 2017 season, and the schools have squared off 46 times overall since the rivalry began in 1940.
Lehigh joins a home slate that is already packed with high-end competition. Rutgers is also scheduled to host No.
1 Penn State, No. 7 Iowa, Indiana and Northwestern that season, with the rest of the schedule still to come.
The Scarlet Knights’ schedule is still taking shape, but one major date is already locked in. Rutgers was announced in May as one of the teams selected for the National Duals Invitational, set for Dec. 12-13, 2026 at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
On the mat, Rutgers is coming off another strong season. The Scarlet Knights finished No. 11 in the final NWCA Coaches Poll for the second straight year in 2025-26, and they closed the regular season with six straight wins.
That run included the program’s first-ever victory over then-No. 6 Minnesota, helping Rutgers post its best regular season Big Ten finish under head coach Scott Goodale.
Rutgers also sent nine wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, its highest total since 2016.
The roster is getting a boost, too. NCAA qualifiers Andrew Barbosa at 165, Shane Cartagena-Walsh at 184 and Remy Cotton Daniel Herrera from Iowa State, along with Brett Ungar from Cornell, are set to join the program in the fall.
Anthony Knox and U23 Freestyle Nationals runner-up Brandt Harer.
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10 Scarlet Knights Just Put Rutgers Roster Progress On Notice
Ten Rutgers football players landed on the Shriners Childrens East-West Bowl 1000 Watch List, a sign that the programs roster development is drawing real attention beyond Piscataway. The group includes offensive lineman Kwabena Asamoah, defensive linemen JDan Burnett, Malachi Davis and Rondo Porter, wide receiver KJ Duff, quarterback Dylan Lonergan, linebacker Ty Morris, offensive lineman Tyler Needham, running back Antwan Raymond and defensive back Kaj Sanders, with several transfers bringing strong rsums from their previous stops.
For Rutgers, the list is more than a preseason talking point. It reflects a roster that has added proven production in key spots and gives the Scarlet Knights a clearer sense of how much NFL-caliber talent is starting to accumulate. Needhams experience, Morris all-around production and the transfer track records of Burnett, Davis and Sanders all add weight to the idea that this group is deeper and more competitive than it was a year ago, even if the biggest test of that progress still lies ahead. [Read more 🡒]
KJ Duff Nearly Became Rutgers Latest Portal Gut Punch
KJ Duff spent enough time weighing his options this offseason to make Rutgers sweat a little, but the wide receiver ultimately decided to run it back for another year. After considering the transfer portal, Duff said his development under wide receivers coach Dave Brock and his relationship with the staff helped steer him back toward Piscataway, with his long-term goal of reaching the NFL still front and center.
Greg Schiano and Brock were both part of the conversations that kept Duff in place, underscoring how important the coaching side of the equation has become for a player who emerged as one of Rutgers most productive weapons. For the Scarlet Knights, it is the kind of retention that can quietly matter as much as any addition, especially when a receiver with Duffs trajectory has enough value to draw real interest elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Womens Lacrosse Lands Cascade Maverik Deal As Program Momentum Grows
Rutgers womens lacrosse keeps adding to a busy stretch off the field, with the program now lined up with Cascade Maverik Lacrosse for gear and equipment. For a team that has been building its profile on the field, the partnership gives the Scarlet Knights another sign of support as they continue competing at the collegiate level with a growing standard around the program.
The deal also fits the bigger picture around Rutgers recent momentum, which has included an 11-win season, four Big Ten victories and an NCAA Tournament berth after a win over No. 17 Princeton. With that kind of progress, a partnership built around innovative lacrosse products feels like another step in treating the program more like a rising contender than a team still trying to prove it belongs. [Read more 🡒]