Greg Schiano had his game week press conference on Monday, and he touched on a variety of topics, both internally and externally to the Rutgers football program. Schiano started by announcing the elected captains for the 2025 Rutgers football season, with the four captains being quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, offensive lineman Gus Zilinskas, defensive lineman Jordan Walker, and linebacker DJ Djabome. He also mentioned that former Rutgers wide receiver Isaiah Washington has returned as a player development
assistant.
Schiano then turned his attention to Ohio University’s football team, which he spoke very highly about, starting with the coaching staff. He promoted offensive coordinator Brian Smith to the head coach position, while retaining their defensive coordinator and bringing in several new coaches to the staff. On offense, he raved about quarterback Parker Navarro, who is a true dual-threat, saying that “if he’s three inches taller, you’re probably watching him at Notre Dame or somewhere”.
He also discussed returning running back Sieh Bangura, who had two solid seasons leading Ohio in rushing before transferring to Minnesota for the 2024 season. Schiano also discussed Ohio’s potent run game and the unconventional reads they use, with Navarro being an active part of the run game. He noted that the receiving room returns their second through fifth-leading receivers, which are all solid, while their tight end, Mason Williams, “looks like a Big Ten tight end” and “can be a factor in the run game and in the pass game”.
Schiano noted that Ohio’s defense is a “little more gray because I’m not exactly sure who’s going to be playing what,” but discussed the secondary, which represents “the bulk of their returning players”. He praised the highly-touted safety duo of Adonis Williams Jr. and DJ Walker, as well as cornerback Tank Pearson, who had three interceptions last season.
He also discussed the Bobcats’ front seven, saying that his staff had tried to create player profiles for the new faces at their previous schools, but he is less sure about who will be in what role. Before opening up the conference for questions, Schiano remarked, “But as it always goes, it’s going to be about how we perform,“ he said. ”If that’s good enough, then we win. And if it isn’t, then we won’t win. That’s really what it boils down to.”
One of the top early questions in the press conference discussed shifting from training camp to preparing for an opponent, with Greg saying that his staff takes two days after training camp with the players away from the coaches to freshen up and shift focus before game week. He also discussed the preparations against a new head coach and new staff members, citing that although the team has done investigative work to figure out what each new player and staff member brings to the table, Rutgers has to play its own brand of football and adapt to the unknowns as the game goes on.
Schiano talked about his team making improvements year-over-year, saying that he’s convinced that “we’re getting better players each year,” but the results also depend on the opponents on the other sideline. He also noted that “we’re not close to being where we will be midseason right now,” particularly on the defensive side of the ball, where there are a lot of new players and coaches. He also mentioned the likelihood of former Rutgers offensive tackle Shedrick Rhodes Jr. matching up against former Bobcats defensive end Bradley Weaver, and how situations like that are common within modern-day college football.
Going back to the defense, Schiano discussed the daily and weekly progress being made by the defense, and the changes made by the co-coordinators Zach Sparber and Robb Smith, although both coaches have a background in Rutgers’ base system. He said that there is a “little bit of a learning curve” and that “we just have to play really hard” to cover up some early mistakes that may arise from all the new pieces on that side of the football.
Answering a question about how Ohio stacks up against other Big Ten teams, Schiano declined to make a direct comparison to any Big Ten opponent, but instead discussed the Bobcats’ consistency, noting that they’ve had one losing season in the past sixteen years, while having defeated Power Four opponents and scaring many others. Schiano embraces the challenge against the reigning MAC champions, saying that it will help Rutgers find out where they are against a tough opening opponent.
Schiano also answered a question about Rutgers’ returning philosophy going into 2025, saying, “We’re going to mix blocks, returns, kickoff returns. What we try to do, so you understand, is manage risk and manage opportunity.” He discussed the risk vs. return aspect of returning kicks and blocking punts, but noted that his new dynamic returners in D.T. Sheffield and Dane Pardridge may change that equation. After Rutgers led the country in kickoff returns in 2023 with six, the Scarlet Knights returned just 10 punts and four kickoffs for a total of 14 combined kick returns, which was tied for the second-lowest in the country.
Greg also discussed the Rutgers offense being more dynamic than in previous years, with the Scarlet Knights scoring over 30 points per game in the final six contests and over 40 points in two contests last season. He also noted that Ohio was among the top defenses in the nation last season, both overall and in scoring defense, and that “they know what they want to do,” but also reiterated that both programs have a lot of new players on their defenses that may impact their seasons.
Schiano discussed some ongoing position battles, saying that Rutgers is “close, if not done” in deciding the starters on the offensive line and in the running back room. Schiano will likely play more offensive linemen than in the past to start the season, both because the coaching staff believes it has multiple guys at each position that are capable, and because they want to determine their ongoing starting five before Big Ten play begins.
To end the press conference, Schiano answered a question about Jordan Walker’s transition from tight end to defensive end, saying that Walker was getting frustrated at tight end, which led Schiano to play him on defense, where he immediately picked up the position and continues to excel with his physical frame. He also made a shoutout to the Rutgers fans, saying that “this team will play very, very hard” in Thursday night’s game and that he looks forward to seeing the fans back at SHI Stadium for what should be a great evening of football.
You can listen to the full press conference here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebSnffP_2Yo&ab_channel=RutgersFootball
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