Rutgers offensive lineman Kwabena Asamoah and running back Antwan Raymond have received another national preseason recognition, this time being named to the Pro Football Network Preseason All-America teams. This time, Asamoah earned first-team honors while Raymond was named to the second team.
Last season, Asamoah started all 12 games at right guard and has been a stalwart on the line for the past 25 games at that position. A Second Team All-America selection by ESPN, he blocked for an offense that averaged
389.1 yards of total offense in Big Ten play, the team’s best mark in a season since joining the league. Asamoah helped pave the way for Rutgers to have an offense that had a 3,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard rusher, and 1,000-yard receiver for the second time in program history.
Raymond was a benefactor of Asamoah’s skill up front, running for 1,241 yards and 15 touchdowns on 244 carries. His rushing total was among the top in the Big Ten, ranking third in the conference, 14th in the nation, and 8th in school history. His best performance last season was when he recorded 240 rushing yards on 41 attempts against Maryland, helping lead the Scarlet Knights to victory in that game. He was awarded second-team Big Ten honors for his performance last season.
It was mentioned in a previous On The Banks post that Rutgers wide receiver KJ Duff is heading into one of the most anticipated seasons for a single player in Rutgers football history due to all of his preseason accolades. The same is true for both Asamoah and Raymond, as they are expected to be among the most dominant players not just in the Big Ten, but the whole NCAA next season.
