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Rutgers Football Post-Spring Depth Chart

By Griffin Whitmer
Mike McGinnis/Getty Images

Rutgers wrapped up Spring practice last Saturday with their annual Scarlet-White game. The culmination of 15 practices has helped shed some light on where the roster will stand heading into fall camp. Here is how the roster looks now:

Quarterback

  1. Chris Laviano
  2. Hayden Rettig
No surprises here, as Laviano held on to the job throughout the Spring game. It will take a whole lot from Hayden Rettig to win the job, as Laviano is clearly ahead in the eyes of the coaches and his teammates.

Running Back

  1. Robert Martin
  2. Josh Hicks
  3. Justin Goodwin/Trey Sneed
Robert Martin has been slowly proving that he is the best running back on the team. Obviously, he won't be a workhorse, as Josh Hicks should still see plenty of reps. For the time being, however, Martin appears to have separated himself as the better of the two. Trey Sneed and Justin Goodwin will battle it out for third-string reps.

Wide Receiver

  1. Janarion Grant
  2. Andre Patton
  3. Carlton Agudosi
  4. Vance Matthews
  5. John Tsimis
I'm not really sure where to go past these guys, as no one else on the roster is proven. Grant is going to be the best player on the offense this year. Patton is a proven commodity and Agudosi is still improving. The only issue with this group is they are all seniors and there is not tremendous experience.

Tight End

  1. Nick Arcidiacono
  2. Matt Flanagan
  3. Charles Scarff
Although I didn't expect Arcidiacono to transition well into the spread offense, he has done just fine. He has been getting of plenty first-team reps and has the edge over Matt Flanagan for the starting job. Him and Flanagan are 1a and 1b while Charles Scarff is 2.

Offensive Line

  • LT: Tariq Cole
  • LG: Dorian Miller
  • C: Derrick Nelson
  • RG: Chris Muller
  • RT: JJ Denman
It is hard to go into specifics of backup o-lineman, as there is Marcus Applefield and then a bunch of inexperience being shifted all around. However, the starters are pretty much set in stone now. Tariq Cole easily locked up the starting LT job and the rest of the line will remain the same as it was last year. This is great for their chemistry as a unit and should help them improve vastly from 2015.

Defensive Line

  • DE: Julian Pinnix-Odrick
  • DT: Sebastian Joseph
  • DT: Darius Hamilton
  • DE: Quanzell Lambert
Again, it is hard to pinpoint specific backups for positions on the line, but there are certain players that will earn their fair share of playing time. Kevin Wilkins, Jimmy Hogan, and Ron'Dell Carter all positioned themselves as good backups along the d-line. Myles Nash has been getting some work in as a pass-rusher and Kemoko Turay is still rehabbing from injury. It will be interesting to see how much he plays when he gets back healthy. As for the starters, they are the most set in stone position group on the team. The whole unit has been knighted and boasts three 5th-year seniors as well as a 4th-year junior in Sebastian Joseph. There is plenty of experience and talent in this unit to make it the strongest on the team.

Linebackers

  • WLB: Trevor Morris // TJ Taylor
  • MLB: Deonte Roberts // Isaiah Johnson
  • SLB: Najee Clayton // Greg Jones
These three true sophomores have incredibly limited experience and have one combined start between them. Deonte Roberts started against Army and is the only one that actually played real snaps on defense as opposed to special teams like Morris and Clayton. Morris kind of came out of nowhere to get the job at WLB, after coaches were calling the position a mess.  TJ Taylor, like all other linebackers has learned every position so it will really be next man up if someone goes down. SLB is a different story, as it is a hybrid position specially-fit for athletes who can cover. Enter Najee Clayton, a converted safety and Greg Jones, a converted walk-on running back. Clayton has been putting in extra time studying former Ohio State LB and current Jets LB Darron Lee who played the same exact position for Chris Ash. This is one of the most important positions on the defense so Clayton's development will be huge this season.

Secondary

  • CB: Isaiah Wharton // Jarius Adams
  • CB: Blessuan Austin // Sandy Anya
  • FS: Saquan Hampton // Kiy Hester
  • SS: Anthony Cioffi // Andre Hunt
The big depth question is at cornerback here, as Jarius Adams was injured and there is absolutely no one behind him. Sandy Anya is walk-on with no experience, as is seemingly every other option at CB. Charles Snorweah is a converted running back with academic issues who needs to sort those out before he steps on the field. Thankfully, Ross Taylor-Douglas and Kobe Marfo are joining the team for fall camp and they will be needed immediately. These two transfers will provide not only immediate depth but one of them is almost guaranteed immediate playing time depending on which one does better in camp. At safety, Saquan Hampton has emerged as the starter at FS over Kiy Hester and Anthony Cioffi has SS locked up.