It isn’t receiving the attention of the quarterback position or the offensive line, but the positional battles for the linebackers will be crucial for Rutgers football ahead of next season.
With the loss of several key contributors at linebacker including Olakunle Fatukasi and Drew Singleton, the lack of depth and upperclassman experience is readily apparent on the two-deep. Fatukasi and Singleton are both headed to sign NFL contracts.
In fact, Fatukasi is a candidate to be a Day 3 selection.
Austin Dean, who saw some playing time last year as a true freshman, and true freshman Anthony Johnson, were among those who stood out on Friday night at the annual spring game.
“They have done a good job all spring. They are on-the-job training, right?” head coach Greg Schiano said after Friday’s spring game.
“Especially Anthony, I mean, really, he graduates high school in a couple weeks. They are both natural linebackers. They are instinctual. They have got a lot to learn but I think that’s definitely a thin part on our roster right now.”
Dean, who played eight games last season as a true freshman, had four tackles in the spring game in a strong performance for the Scarlet team. The product of Berkley Prep (Tampa, FL) also had two tackles for a loss.
Also on the Scarlet team, Johnson, who joined Rutgers football as an early enrollee this spring, had three tackles. Johnson is a former four-star recruit.
The thin depth at linebacker was potentially exacerbated by the loss of Mohamed Toure, who did not play on Friday night following what might be a serious injury the week prior in spring practice.
“I don’t know yet with Mo. It’s going to be probably a few weeks now before we know. So it’s either going to be he’s going to be able to play, or he’s going to get surgery and that will be it for the season,” Schiano said.
“But the doctors just informed us today that we are going to have to wait a few weeks to know that, which is fine because once you…
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