In a recent article by Zach Barnett of FootballScoop.com, he pointed out that Rutgers Athletics has missed the postseason in every single sport that his site covers: football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, softball, baseball, and volleyball, being the only Power Four school to do so last season. The article itself is an overall tough read for Rutgers fans, as it replays the harsh realities of the last athletic year on the field and on the court while bringing up other matters, such as the athletic department’s
deficit. However, it does a good job at pointing out the obvious; despite having strong seasons from a few of its lesser talked about programs, the 2025-2026 athletics year was a rough one for Rutgers fans.
That now begs the question, will it get better next season, not just in terms of reaching post season, but overall?
In terms of football, men’s basketball, and women’s basketball, there is a strong reason to say yes.
Football last season was held back by a defense that set records for poor performance under a coordinator who struggled to remain in that position for more than two years wherever he was hired. With the hire of former South Dakota head coach/defensive coordinator Travis Johansen, Rutgers appears to have landed an up-and-coming talent in the coaching world who led the Coyotes to the FCS playoffs, largely due to having a very strong defense. This alone makes it hard to imagine that there won’t be a step forward on that side of the ball. Couple that with Rutgers’ retaining wide receiver KJ Duff and running back Antwan Raymond on the other side of the ball, and bowl eligibility becomes a reasonable expectation, which is an overall improvement from 5-7 last season.
In addition to football, both men’s and women’s basketball have had good offseasons so far. Men’s basketball retained the core group of players they wanted to keep around while going out and gaining promising players such as former Virginia Tech center Christian Gurdak, former NEC player of the year Darin Smith Jr, and Coastal Carolin guard Rasheed Jones. While these additions likely won’t lead to an NCAA tournament birth, the performance on the court should be better than it was last season, with their talent getting infused with the continued development of guys like Lino Mark and Kaden Powers.
Women’s basketball has arguably had the best offseason of all three, hiring new head coach Gary Redus II, who has brought in several transfers with Power Four experience. These transfers include highly rated New Jersey natives Mia and Mya Pauldo, who spent their first season at Tennessee before deciding to come home. With the extremely poor play on the court last season, the infusion of talent coming through the portal, and the new coaching staff overall, the on-court product should take a step forward this offseason. Making the tournament is another matter entirely, but a step forward is still a step forward
It is hard to determine where Softball, Baseball, and Volleyball will end up next season with the information we have right now, especially since baseball’s transfer portal hasn’t opened yet. All three should yield some sort of benefit with the increase in support coming from the various efforts of athletic director Keli Zinn, but it is hard to tell right now how much of a difference that will make. Softball finished the season with a .500 record but struggled in Big Ten play. Baseball has taken a step back over the past few years, hovering around .500 and barely making the Big Ten tournament before being eliminated. Volleyball did take a step forward last season, doubling its previous win total, but still went 3-17 in Big Ten play. This is not to say they won’t improve next season, but it is hard to predict with the information we have right now.
