Tom Luicci broke the story on Saturday that Maine DC Robb Smith is expected take a position on staff. Rutgers seemingly is in need of offensive coaches, so there might be some reshuffling if no further moves are announced. Smith, like co-DCs Bob Fraser and Ed Pinkham, is an alumnus of Allegheny College who came up through the I-AA ranks. And like Fraser, he's originally a native of Western Pennsylvania.
Former RU beatwriter Jim Carty has some teling words on the agony of Rutgers basketball, a decade later.
If you go to the Rutgers basketball website, and click on history, there is no mention of Billet or Hodgson or that season. None. It's a joke, really, that the site somehow still pumps up the ridiculous Gary Waters era, which enjoyed virtually all its success with players recruited from Kevin Bannon, but doesn't mention one word about that era. There are reasons for that, primarily Bannon's naked free throw contest, but to ignore that entire era is an insult to the players involved, and an insult to fans' intelligence, given that there was some pretty good basketball played.
Senior Day for the men's basketball was ugly, but it was a win. The women's team massacred Seton Hall, only to lose to Louisville in double OT. The baseball team swept ODU.
Scarlet Scuttlebutt had a few entries about Kenny Britt and the Maxwell Awards over the past few days. The most interesting to me was an audio interview with Ron Jaworski. What's clear is that, regardless of what may have happened in the past, Britt has had the good sense to be on his best behavior over the past several months. He's doing all he can to counter any negative perception; what's left is to cement his status as a first round pick at the Rutgers Pro Day in two weeks. I thought that Britt ran the 40-yard dash as fast as could be expected for a receiver of his size, but he did set expectations slightly higher before the Combine.
The wrestling team received more praise during the EIWA tournament. I didn't know this:
Rutgers drew a wrestling school record 4,067 fans to the RAC and the Knights' average attendance was ranked eighth in the country according to Amateur News.
Read on to learn Scott Goodale's plan to work with Tim Pernetti to increase the number of available scholarships. (I don't think Schiano is ever going to let his players wrestle though, not with the weight issues involved.) The football team is loaded with former high school wrestling stars; the latest of which, David Osei, finally lost his unbeaten record over the weekend in the PA state championships.
Another consequence of the weak economy: New Jerseyans going to college out of state are increasingly looking to transfer in to Rutgers.