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It was quite a day for the Rutgers HBC and his players. The media on hand were able to get a final glimpse of Brandon Coleman as a college student as well as see QB Gary Nova answer questions about his downward spiral in the last three games of last season. The real spotlight was on Kevin Snyder, who did an admirable job in front of co-hosts John Rooke and Pete Brock. As a player who is a bit of an unknown outside of the RU community, Snyder truly shined and set the tone that this year's squad does not plan on taking a step back, even with a record number of Scarlet Knights selected in the NFL Draft.
There were plenty of other items of note, so let's go over some of the highlights:
bELieve #52
Kyle Flood showed the nation once again that the Rutgers Scarlet Knights are the class of college football. In his presser to the media, Coach Flood announced that the game against Eastern Michigan (9/14) will serve as a retirement ceremony for Eric LeGrand's jersey number. In 144 years of college football, Rutgers has never retired a jersey number. This is the perfect opportunity for the school to initiate a great tradition, while at the same time commemorate the legacy of a man whose presence is venerable on the banks. Here are some samples of the reaction around the Twitterverse:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>What an honor thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/RFootball">@RFootball</a> this means the world to me <a href="http://t.co/k0T15iS82h">pic.twitter.com/k0T15iS82h</a></p>— Eric LeGrand (@EricLeGrand52) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLeGrand52/statuses/362235199729303553">July 30, 2013</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Nice RT <a href="https://twitter.com/TomLuicci">@TomLuicci</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Rutgers&src=hash">#Rutgers</a> will retire Eric LeGrand's #52, Kyle Flood just announced. First retired jersey in football program history.</p>— Bruce Feldman (@BFeldmanCBS) <a href="https://twitter.com/BFeldmanCBS/statuses/362234623922679809">July 30, 2013</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Why We Love Sports Today: Rutgers says Eric LeGrand's No. 52 will never be worn again. 1st jersey retired in 144 years of Rutgers football.</p>— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/statuses/362237452083134465">July 30, 2013</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Eric LeGrand's #52 will be the first jersey retired in Rutgers football history: <a href="http://t.co/EYGLPW9ng2">http://t.co/EYGLPW9ng2</a> // <a href="http://t.co/5rmOjMKoK3">pic.twitter.com/5rmOjMKoK3</a></p>— USA TODAY Sports (@USATODAYsports) <a href="https://twitter.com/USATODAYsports/statuses/362261324291514368">July 30, 2013</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Congrats to my man <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLeGrand52">@EricLeGrand52</a> on the news that #52 will be the first-ever retired number <a href="https://twitter.com/RFootball">@RFootball</a> on 9/14 <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23bELieve&src=hash">#bELieve</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ReeveFoundation">@ReeveFoundation</a></p>— Tim Pernetti (@Tim_Pernetti) <a href="https://twitter.com/Tim_Pernetti/statuses/362262122509500416">July 30, 2013</a></blockquote>
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Kyle Flood at the Podium
If you would like to read the entire transcript of Coach Flood's presser, click here. Some interesting tidbits:
On the first game of the season on the road against Fresno State:
One of the things that was important to me, as soon as I realized that we would lose four of the top five players in our secondary, I told Jason: Go out there find us the best quarterback in the country that we can play against in the first day. And that was Derek Carr.
This will be a very good litmus test for the RU secondary. Everyone knows that Teddy Bridgewater is looking to end Louisville's tenure in the Big East AAC on a winning note, and Rutgers fans should be able to tell early on whether the attrition of the secondary will be too tough to overcome. Of course, the defensive backfield can improve between the Fresno State game and the Louisville game. However, it will be reassuring to see the Rutgers D shut down a potentially high NFL draft pick in Derek Carr (not to mention his stable of wideouts).
On Eric's reaction to the news about his jersey number:
His reaction was very typical Eric. Eric said: Coach, I was wondering when you were going to do that. That was awesome.
I love seeing how comfortable players are with the coaches. I know it's cheesy, but that family atmosphere is why recruits love Rutgers.
Regarding the clown show that is the RU administration the past couple of months:
[T]here's no doubt in my mind that once we start playing football games, that is openly what will put some of these other conversations behind us.
We've all been saying this since all of the madness started happening. Rutgers football has been a bright spot for the university since Greg Schiano resurrected the program in the last decade. That culture continues with Kyle Flood at the helm, and there isn't a better remedy to all of the problems than a new season of Rutgers football.
News & Notes
- It turns out that Rutgers will show the American Athletic Conference logo on the stadium turf. This is not a big deal by any means, but I sort of appreciated the "good riddance" attitude to the AAC. Oh well. Probably for the best not to burn any bridges.
- The Big East's football records will stay under the Big East name. The AAC has decided to start anew with athletic record-keeping, and that includes football. This is a good chance for Brandon Coleman to set some conference records for the future.
I hope you enjoyed the coverage of AAC Media Day here at On The Banks. Only one month to go until actual football.
<h4>More from On the Banks:</h4>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.onthebanks.com/2013/7/30/4571978/rutgers-around-the-web-media-day-edition">Rutgers Around The Web: Media Day Edition</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.onthebanks.com/2013/7/30/4571262/rutgers-picked-to-finish-3rd-in-aac-media-poll">Rutgers Picked To Finish 3rd In AAC Media Poll</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.onthebanks.com/2013/7/30/4570928/american-athletic-conference-media-day-schedule">American Athletic Conference Media Day Schedule</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.onthebanks.com/2013/7/16/4529020/new-kids-on-the-block-2013-offense">New Kids on the Block 2013: Offense</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.onthebanks.com/2013/7/8/4504208/new-kids-on-the-block-2013-defense">New Kids On The Block 2013: Defense</a></li>
</ul>