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Former Rutgers football wide receiver John Tsimis was honored as part of the senior class last fall, despite having one year of eligibility remaining. Last night on his instagram page, Tsimis announced his plans on where he will play his last season of college football.
Towson is an FCS school that plays in the Colonial Athletic Association, which is a powerhouse conference at that level. The conference includes James Madison, Villanova, and New Hampshire. Tsimis will likely compete for a starting job at receiver for a team that went 4-7 last season.
For his Rutgers career, Tsimis had 36 receptions for 348 yards and 3 touchdowns. His best season on the banks by far was in 2014, when caught 19 receptions for 188 yards and all three scores of his career. He caught touchdown passes from quarterback Gary Nova in wins over Washington State, Howard, and Michigan. His 7 yard score late in the third quarter gave Rutgers the lead for good in their historic win over the Wolverines. You can view the play here.
The former Bergen Catholic star was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.
Unfortunately, Tsimis was plagued by knee injuries his entire career, dating back to high school. After taking a medical redshirt during the 2015 season, he struggled to be much of a factor last year, when he caught just 11 receptions for 94 yards. He was one of my favorite players on the team and hoped he would develop into a reliable slot receiver in his career. It never happened after having two knee surgeries during his time at Rutgers.
Presumably more healthy now, he should have an opportunity to make an impact next season at Towson. We wish him luck on this move and thank him for being a good representative of Rutgers football the past four years.
Tsimis joins Chris Laviano and Matt Flanagan as players who have left the program after last season as graduate transfers. Laviano landed at San Diego State and Flanagan will play at Pittsburgh.