Coach Jacksi - NCAA Football

[jmcole33]

Coach Jacksi

Preseason Top 25
August 1, 2026

1. Notre Dame (35)
2. Georgia (42)
3. Ohio State (27)
4. Oregon
5. Penn State
6. Texas
7. Indiana
8. Alabama
9. Oklahoma
10. Auburn
11. LSU
12. SMU
13. Duke
14. Michigan
15. Baylor
16. BYU
17. Texas Tech
18. Virginia Tech
19. Wisconsin
20. Florida State
21. Iowa State
22. Vanderbilt
23. Clemson
24. Illinois
25. USC

Heisman Watch

1. WR Ryan Williams (JR) - Alabama
2. WR Jeremiah Smith (JR) - Ohio State
3. QB Arch Manning (JR) - Texas
4. HB Isaac Brown (JR) - Miami
5. QB Sam Leavitt (JR) - Arizona State

The two junior phenom receivers are back at the top of the preseason Heisman Watch. Ryan Williams took him home in 2025, and he is favorited to win it once again this year. Arch Manning will try to lead his team back to the playoffs without HC Steve Sarkisian - who left for Michigan this offseason.

[jmcole33]

Coach Jacksi

Rutgers 2026 Schedule
August 10, 2026

Week 0 - @ Boston College
Week 1 - #22 Vanderbilt
Week 2 - Michigan State
Week 3 - @ Northwestern
Week 4 - Nebraska
Week 5 - #25 USC
Week 6 - @ #5 Penn State
Week 7 - #7 Indiana
Week 8 - BYE
Week 9 - Marshall
Week 10 - BYE
Week 11 - @ #19 Wisconsin
Week 12 - #14 Michigan
Week 13 - @ Maryland

[jmcole33]

Coach Jacksi

2026 Season Preview: Rutgers
August 27, 2026

Year 2 of the Jacksi era is just a couple of days away and is kicking off in Chestnut Hill, MA against Boston College. BC was 5-7 last season, but had themselves a good spring and summer recruiting - and are going to be considered the favorites in this one. BC -5.5 is the line, according to ESPN.

Rutgers has a completely new look roster, and not in an exciting way. Murmurs around the program are skeptical of Jacksi's recruiting class and expectations are low for year 2. It was a daunting task - to replace a Rutgers coaching legend and then have more than half of the players getting meaningful snaps leaving after year 1. Alumni don't care about that though, they care about wins. And it looks like Jacksi might be trying to struggling to get to 6 this year.


Offense

As stated previously - basically all yardage and scoring production from last year's team is gone. QB Ethan Schultz played in place of the banged up Athan Kaliakmanis on occasion, but never looked comfortable. Making his job even tougher, is the fact that his top returning target, JR WR KJ Duff, only had 26 catches all of last year. Duff will be flanked by JR Ben Black and SR Dylan Braithwaite - both of which had less than 10 targets in 2025. Jacksi is hopeful that transfer FR TE Brian Kortovich will become a safety blanket for Schultz.

The rushing attack features a completely new look, as not a single player on this year's team had a carry last year. SO HB Gabe Winovich looks like he won the starting position in training camp, and has a good burst along with some ability to break tackles. Spelling him will be SO Edd Guerrier who has some wiggle and will be a receiver out of the backfield. Don't be surprised if the two freshman, Jahleel Keener and Derek Landman, get some touches as well.

Defense

The defense will be headlined by JR FS Kaj Sanders and Indiana transfer Jamari Sharpe. Sanders, the All American, will have his hands full trying to lead a defense that has very little collegiate experience. Sanders and Sharpe are the only two with starting experience. Pass rush and run defense was a strength of last year's team, but it's hard to know what to expect this year.

FR EDGE Cooper Hill and SO EDGE Cole McConathy II, a transfer from University of Miami, will be getting after the quarterback, and Jacksi is hoping for big strides from his sophomore middle linebacker, Sam Robinson. Robinson will be flanked by SO LB Khalil Avery-Jones and JR Sam Pilof.

Sanders and Sharpe will be joined in the secondary by JR CB Sage Clawes, JR CB Joel Boamah, and JR SS Miquel Dingle Jr. Boamah and Dingle are coming to Rutgers via the transfer portal. Clogging up the run will be SR DT Darold Dengohe and SR DT Michael Marion. Dengohe and Marion are two of the few seniors in this defense, and Jacksi will be leaning on their maturity to help them step into a big role for the first time.

Kicking

Replacing Jai Patel as placekicker will be JR Riley McCann. This will be his first collegiate action. JR Jakob Anderson is back as punter, and is looking to build on a good 2025.

Prediction

This Rutgers team is taking a MASSIVE step back in both experience and talent (at least on paper). They will be up against it in a Big Ten that once again features several Top 10 teams in the country. I expect this team to go 5-7 and miss bowl season for the second year in a row.

Coach Jacksi had this to say:

"Every year is different. This year is going to be different than last year. We have a different team. I am expecting a lot out of Ethan. He has plenty of ability and has been in this program a long time. Kaj is one of the best defensive players in the country, and we've got some exciting pieces around him. Our philosophy doesn't change. We are going to play fast and aggressive on both sides of the ball. We might sneak up on some people this year."

[jmcole33]

Coach Jacksi

Rutgers Opens Season With an Impressive Road W
August 29, 2026

Rutgers 1-0 (0-0) - 7 21 3 10 | 41
Boston College 0-1 (0-0) - 3 3 0 14 | 20

The 2026 opened with an impressive road win for the Scarlet Knights as they jumped all over Boston College 41-20.

Rutgers showed that they meant business early on, forcing a Boston College 3 and out and then scoring on their first offensive possession. HB Jahleel Keener capped off a 7-play opening drive with a 6-yard touchdown run on the first touch of his career. It was the first of 3 touchdown runs on the day for the freshman, who had 54 yards on 15 carries.

On the next Rutgers drive, SR QB Ethan Schultz would throw an interception due to a hit while throwing, but that was really his only blip on the day. Boston College would make a 22-yard field goal to make it 7-3.

Rutgers would answer with a TD pass to SR FB Heath Paul, a play-action boot from 3 yards out. BC would add another field goal, but Rutgers would find the end zone two more times before halftime. First, Schultz would connect with TE Brian Kortovich on a 45-yard touchdown, in which the Penn State transfer found himself wide open. Then with less than a minute left in the half, Keener would punch in another TD inside the 5. 28-3 at half.

Kent State transfer, CB Joel Boamah, would start the second half with an interception on a deep throw from Boston College QB Dylan Lonergan. This led to a 27-yard field goal from Riley McCann, his first of two on the day.

BC would find the endzone twice in the final quarter, but the game was out of reach at that point.

While Boston College is not predicted to achieve much this season, they are still an ACC team and that is a good road win to start the season.

"Ya'll have not been quiet with your criticism with this roster. This was a good win. I was impressed with a number of areas, and our rush defense was once again outstanding." Rutgers held the Golden Eagles to -22 yards rushing on the day. This was helped by 7 sacks on the day, 3 of which came from DT Pat Matungulu in his first college game. The freshman from Virginia was very impressive, and finished with 6 tackles (5 TFL). He was named BIG Defensive Player of the Week - a phenomenal start to his career.

In Ethan Schutlz's first start of his career, he complete 18 of 32 passes for 249 yards and 2 TDs.

HB Gabe Winovich had to leave the game in the 2nd quarter due to a chest injury, but he should be available next week vs Vanderbilt. In his first game action, the sophomore had 98 yards on 13 carries.

Looking Ahead

Rutgers is opening up at SHI Stadium by welcoming #22 Vanderbilt to town. Vanderbilt won 10 games last season and finished the season ranked 18th in the country. This will be their season opener. Vandy is led by their dual threat QB Conner Harrell and is favored by 9.5 on the road.

Around the Country

Michigan State 17 @ #1 Notre Dame 54
Hawaii 14 @ Stanford 28
Ball State 20 @ Northwestern 27

[jmcole33]

Coach Jacksi

Rutgers Picks Up First Ranked Win of Jacksi Era
September 5, 2026

Rutgers 2-0 (0-0) - 21 10 7 3 | 41
#22 Vanderbilt 0-1 (0-0) - 0 14 3 7 | 24

Rutgers followed up an impressive showing in week 1 by coming home to Piscataway and turning in an even more impressive performance en route to a 41-24 win over #22 Vanderbilt.

SR QB Ethan Schultz was spectacular in his second career start. He completed 16 of 25 passes for 300 yards and 4 touchdowns, including one with his feet. He did have an interception, but it was on a play where he was hit as he threw.

Schultz wasted zero time, and after three plays, all passes, he had Rutgers up 7-0. 25 yards to JR WR KJ Duff, 27 yards to JR TE Caleb Johnston, and then 26 yards to SR WR Dylan Braithwaite for the touchdown.

It was a statement.

"Wow, E looked good on that opening drive, didn't he? That's something we didn't see all of last year - explosive offense that can score in the blink of an eye. E has really impressed me so far, and I think he's got even more room to improve."

Schultz would account for 2 more touchdowns before the quarter was over. First, a 18-yard scramble on a broken play, and then a 53-yard bomb to JR WR Ben Black. It was one of two touchdowns for Black, who had 87 yards receiving. 21-0 at the end of the first quarter and it felt like the game was over.

Rutgers would add another touchdown and a field goal to make it 31-0 before Vanderbilt ever put points on the board.

Vandy would pull within 31-17, and threaten to make it a one score game midway through the third quarter. After a long drive that found the Commodores inside the Rutgers 10-yard line, All-American FS Kaj Sanders would come up with a clutch interception in the back of the endzone to end the threat. It completely took the wind out of Vanderbilt's sails.

Instead, SO HB Gabe Winovich would score from two yards out to make it 38-17 with just under 2 minutes left in the third quarter, essentially ending the game.

Rutgers rushed for 146 yards, including 52 of them on just 4 carries from HB Derek Landman. Expect the freshman to get more looks as the season moves on.

This Vanderbilt squad seems to have taken a step back from last year, but the Scarlet Knights will take the W.

Looking Ahead

Rutgers stays home to kickoff their B1G schedule. Michigan State is 1-1 early on this season. They lost to #1 Notre Dame in the opener, but are coming off a 34-29 win against Eastern Michigan. Rutgers is favored by 2.5 points against the Spartans, according to ESPN.

Around the Country

Northern Illinois 35 @ Iowa 31
Kansas State 31 @ NC State 30
Tulane 28 @ #13 Duke 24
#15 Baylor 28 @ #10 Auburn 29
#19 Wisconsin 17 @ #1 Notre Dame 34
#2 Georgia 34 v #20 Florida State 31
Clemson 31 @ #11 LSU 42

[Deuce2223]

Always nice to get that first Top-25 victory.. Also great way to start the year with a 2-0 start. Looks like Landman is making a case to get on the field more..

[jmcole33]

Coach Jacksi

Schultz Takes Step Back in Home Loss
September 12, 2026

Rutgers 2-1 (0-1) - 7 10 0 0 | 17
Michigan State 2-1 (1-0) - 13 7 3 3 | 26

Rutgers suffered their first loss of the year in an ugly affair this afternoon, losing 26-17 to Michigan State. The Spartans completed dominated the time of possession and turnover game, picking off QB Ethan Schultz 5 times and forcing a fumble as well.

HB Gabe Winovich was the lone bright spot for the Scarlet Knights, carrying the ball 12 times for 103 yards, including a 53-yard dash in their opening drive. The big play led to a 10-yard WR Dylan Braithwaite touchdown reception and a 7-0 lead. The lead wouldn't last long, as the Spartans answered with a touchdown of their own on the ensuing drive.

Rutgers would retake the lead 14-13 a couple minutes into the 2nd quarter when Schultz connected with TE Brian Kortovich on a 25-yard touchdown. Once again though, the Spartans would answer, taking a 20-14 lead on a 1-yard run by HB Brandon Tullis. Tullis rushed for 88 yards on 28 carries, and played a big role in controlling the ball for the Spartans.

Rutgers defense gave up 411 yards, but only allowed Michigan State in the endzone twice. They bent a ton, but didn't break much - keeping their offense within striking distance. Unfortunately, Ethan Schultz lost all momentum he had gained last week against Vanderbilt.

"E just didn't have it today. He wasn't accurate, he had happy feet in the pocket, and he didn't take care of the ball. The first two are forgivable, but you can't turn the ball over six times. You're not going to win a lot of games that way."

Michigan State QB Aidan Chiles was nearly spotless, completing 36 of 41 passes for 304 yards and a touchdown. The Spartans were content with dinking and dunking their way down the field, and didn't look much for the big play.

The big play was never needed, as they shut out the Rutgers offense after halftime. Once behind, Jacksi was forced to go to the air and put the ball in Schultz' hands more than he's typically comfortable with. They only rushed the ball 28 times, considerably less than they typically do, for just 122 yards.

As always, the Big Ten is a different beast.

Looking Ahead

Rutgers is back on the road next week, heading to Evanston, IL to face Northwestern. The Wildcats are coming off a 40-35 win vs Colorado, and are 3-0 so far this season. This week marks Northwestern's Big Ten opener, and they are favored by 5.5 against the Scarlet Knights.

Around the Country

#21 Duke 7 @ Illinois 0
#9 Oklahoma 28 @ #13 Michigan 21
USF 6 @ 8 Alabama 75
Washington 27 @ #20 USC 45
23 Arizona State 56 @ Texas A&M 0
#1 Notre Dame 25 @ 24 Florida State 35
#3 Ohio State 37 @ #6 Texas 40

[jmcole33]

Coach Jacksi

Media Poll - Top 25
September 14, 2026

1. Texas 2-0 (44)
2. Georgia 2-0 (24)
3. Oregon 2-0
4. Penn State 2-0
5. Indiana 1-0
6. Alabama 2-0
7. Oklahoma 2-0
8. Ohio State 1-1
9. Auburn 2-0
10. LSU 2-0
11. SMU 2-0
12. Notre Dame 2-1
13. BYU 2-0
14. Texas Tech 2-0
15. Virginia Tech 2-0
16. Florida State 1-1
17. Baylor 1-1
18. USC 2-0
19. Michigan 1-1
20. Duke 2-1
21. Miami 3-0
22. Arizona State 2-0
23. Kansas State 1-0
24. Wisconsin 1-1
25. UCLA 3-0

Heisman Watch

1. QB Cliff Honeywell (SO) - LSU
2. QB Nico Iamaleava (JR) - UCLA
3. HB Isaac Brown (JR) - Miami
4. WR Jaden Greathouse (SR) - Notre Dame
5. WR Kamren Bolden (JR) - Ball State

[jmcole33]

Coach Jacksi

Offense Shut Down Once Again, Rutgers Loses to Northwestern
September 19, 2026

Rutgers 2-2 (0-2) - 7 14 0 0 | 21
Northwestern 4-0 (1-0) - 10 9 3 7 | 29

Jacksi and his Scarlet Knights were held scoreless in the second half for the second game in a row to lose 21-29 to Northwestern this afternoon. Despite the offensive troubles, JR K Riley McCann had a look at a 37-yard field goal to go ahead with 8:50 left, but he hooked it left. Rutgers would remain down 21-22, and Northwestern would tack on another touchdown to seal the victory.

For the second week in a row, Rutgers looked to be in a groove offensively in the first half. FR HB Jahleel Keener rushed for a first quarter touchdown from 6 yards out to knot the game at 7. Then KJ Duff and Ethan Schultz would connect on a 16-yard touchdown to put the Scarlet Knights up 14-10 early in the second quarter. Schultz would then hit WR Dylan Braithwaite in stride for his second TD pass of the afternoon. A 44-yard field goal by Northwestern as time expired, brought the score to 21-19, Rutgers.

But that was it. Once again, this Rutgers offense completely stalled in the second half. They couldn't get much going on the ground, but their air attack was all but non-existent. Schultz was erratic, and his receivers dropped too many balls. It allowed Northwestern to stack the box and choke off the Rutgers rushing attack. Gabe Winovich and Derek Landman combined for 111 yards on 22 carries, it only resulted in a single trip to the redzone.

That trip ended in a missed field goal by Riley McCann, who is now 5 for 8 on the season.

"Our defense played well enough to win. Absolutely. Timely pressure, stopping the run... it wasn't that side of the ball. We need to do some evaluating on offense."

Frustration is abundant for Jacksi and the Scarlet Knights, although I'm not sure where they can turn. Behind Schultz are two freshman - Paul Carden and Jeff Callow - and neither of them are ready to play college football.

Maybe the critics were right. This is starting to look like a lost season for Jacksi.

Looking Ahead

Rutgers returns back home where they are hoping to right the ship. Nebraska 3-0 is coming to town, and they are kicking off their B1G schedule in Piscataway. The Cornhuskers are favored by 9.5 points on the road and are coming off a dominating win over Bryant.

Following the matchup with Nebraska, Jacksi is staring down the barrel at #16 USC, @ #4 Penn State, and #15 Indiana. This season is hanging in the balance, and the Scarlet Knights are looking at a six-game losing streak if they don't improve drastically.

Around the Country

UCONN 42 @ UNC 41
Missouri 23 @ #10 LSU 26
#1 Georgia 38 @ #7 Oklahoma 35
Washington 29 @ Washington State 21
Tennesse 35 @ #9 Auburn 49
Pittsburg 26 @ 24 Wisconsin 28
#16 Florida State 31 @ #6 Alabama 55
#21 Miami 48 @ 12 Notre Dame 21