Senior Features: Nelson, Grant, Patton
Sep 27 | Football
Derrick Nelson: Man in the Middle
By Jordan Ozer
Derrick Nelson is the anchor of the Scarlet Knights' offensive line. The product of Capitol Heights, Maryland, is a stalwart as the team's starting center. An unassuming personality, Nelson speaks softly, but his dedication to his craft speaks volumes.
Among the offensive line, Nelson is in a unique position. The five-man line is composed of two sets of pairs, the left and right tackle and the left and right guard. There is only one that stands alone. Everything relies on the center, with him needing to execute a strong snap to start the whole play off. It gives Nelson more to juggle than the other positions, handling the exchange with the quarterback, recognizing the defense, then getting into his blocking assignment.
"What's the secret? There is no secret," Nelson said laughing. "Lots of film. The more film you look at, the more you practice it on the field, the easier it gets. The biggest thing is the snap first. I've learned that over the years. I can't jump too quickly to my assignment because I have to worry about the snap first. So everything runs off me and the snap."
A fifth-year senior, Nelson had a long apprenticeship before assuming the starting center job in 2015. After redshirting his freshman season, he saw limited action the next two years with Betim Bujari starting at the center spot. Nelson took advantage of that time to learn all he could and truly understand the rigors of the position.
"Betim was very wise with football IQ," Nelson detailed. "He really taught me schematically where to go in certain concepts. I really appreciate that from him."
This team's leadership comes from the trenches, with Nelson joining fellow linemen Chris Muller, Darius Hamilton and Julian Pinnix-Odrick as a captain. While the other three are known as some of the most outgoing personalities on the squad, Nelson is a more of a lead-by-example type.
"It's an honor," Nelson said of being voted a captain. "That means that your team thinks of you in a higher light, they respect you. I really appreciate that from my team. At the end of the day, I hope they just let me lead them and understand where I'm going from when I'm trying to be vocal with them."
Nelson's calm stature and his leadership have clearly not gone unnoticed through the program. From his teammates to the coaching staff, Nelson is counted on to guide the ship.
"Derrick's maturity and composure is as good as we've got in the program," offensive line coach AJ Blazek said. "He's just a locked-in guy. He's definitely our consistent leader every day. For example, in the Howard game, we came out and we started off slow and he's the one that took the reins and said `enough is enough.' When he speaks, they listen. Because he doesn't say a lot, but when he does it's usually impactful. Those guys hear his voice and it's calming, because they know it's 100 percent correct, it's always right. They know he's put his work in, he's studied better than anybody, so he knows every picture and he knows what we're doing. When he says it, they just listen. There's no `Are you sure?' There's no doubt and it's a calming voice to our guys."
A humble leader, Nelson is the ultimate team-first player. He values the team unity and hopes to build that cohesiveness in the locker room and on the field.
"The team is really built on that family mantra," Nelson explained. "Coach Ash has brought that along with the 10 strong concept. It preaches unit excellence. I think that's really interesting and a great thing for our program that all together you either succeed or fail based on units, ten units."
His team-first attitude is reflected in his aspirations, with his personal goals going beyond his own desires. Nelson is ultimately concerned with the success of his unit and his team. He hopes to drive the offensive line to a strong performance in 2016.
"On the offensive line, I want us to have 1,000-plus rushing yards," Nelson said. "I really want that to resonate throughout the program. I think that shows you have a really great offensive line."
The Scarlet Knights have found a strong leader at the pivot position. Nelson has been recognized for his selfless devotion to his community, his leadership in the locker room and his guidance for the team's younger players. Importantly, he backs that all up with solid performances on the field, giving Rutgers a center they can get behind.
Janarion Grant: Running to the Endzone
By Jimmy Gill
Electric. Competitive. Playmaker.
All of the above have been used to describe Janarion Grant, one of the most exciting players to watch in all of college football. The speedster made a strong first impression right away by returning his initial touch 100 yards for a kickoff return touchdown in his debut as a true freshman for the Scarlet Knights. Since that moment, opposing coaches have been scheming ways to contain Grant, but he has continued to make an impact on special teams and even more so on offense this season.
"I can't get tackled," Grant said. "That's my mindset every time: One guy can't tackle me. Two guys. Three guys. It doesn't matter who is on me. Even a 300-pounder. I can't get tackled."
From Trilby, Florida, a town between Tampa and Orlando, Grant was not tackled much as a standout at Pasco High School, influencing the game from all over the field. He lined up at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, punt/kick returner and defensive back and left with a county record 77 career touchdowns. As a senior, Grant missed six games, but still managed to find the endzone 20 times. That was after a year where the Class 5A First Team All-State selection piled up more than 1,800 all-purpose yards with 28 scores as a junior.
Grant is now within striking distance of setting the Rutgers career all-purpose yard record with 4,158 through 41 career games, needing to rack up 5,341 to break the mark. He already owns the school record in a game with 337 yards in a dynamic performance last season against Washington State that electrified the fans with both a touchdown on a kickoff and a punt return, the first time it had happened in the history of Rutgers football.
"I can't say enough about Janarion Grant and what he brings to the offense and to special teams," head coach Chris Ash said. "He's right now our most electric player and we can't get the ball in his hands enough."
Grant tied the Big Ten record with his fifth career kickoff return for a touchdown in the home opener versus Howard, accelerating, juking, diving and dipping past defenders 84 yards for the score. The effort earned him Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week for the third time in the last two seasons and the fourth conference weekly honor overall. The first of which came after a 58-yard punt return touchdown in a 2013 comeback win over Arkansas. Grant has also earned all-conference honors twice in three previous seasons and set the school record for kickoff return yardage last year. He now leads all active FBS players in combined career kick return yards.
Through three weeks, Grant was responsible for 14 total touchdowns as a Scarlet Knight with three rushing, one receiving and two passing to go with eight on special teams. Teams have tried to kick away, but Grant's competitive spirit has allowed him to overcome that to still make plays.
"He's an extremely competitive young man," special teams coordinator Vince Okruch said. "He gets frustrated when people don't kick the ball to him. You just have to tell him it's a compliment."
On offense, Grant has expanded his role this season as a weapon lined up wide and also behind the center as a wildcat quarterback. He became the first Rutgers wide receiver to rush for 100 yards since 2010 when he dashed for 105 yards on the ground versus Howard.
"He's a talented young man that can do some special things with the football," offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer said. "We're finding ways to consistently get him the football whether it's throwing, catching, whatever it might be."
"It means a lot," Grant said of his role in the spread offense. "I feel like I can impact the game in many ways and make plays for my team."
Right away in the season opener at Washington, Grant hauled in a career-high nine receptions and rushed for a touchdown in the new-look offense. With over 80 plays of at least 20 yards in his career, Grant just needs a sliver of space to bust a big play.
"We have an offensive system that we believe in and are excited about as we move forward," said Ash. But part of that plan with our offense is to identify who our playmakers are and find different ways to get them the ball. Janarion is at the top of the list when you look at the playmakers on our football team, so we have to be able to get him the football as many different ways as we can, whether it's at wide out, quarterback, running back, in the run game, in the pass game. I think you see it a lot of different ways, and that trend will continue."
With the game-changing ability Grant possesses, expect to see him all over the field. At any moment, he could break a long run leaving defenders in the dust. That is what competitive and electric playmakers do.
(Editor's note: Grant, along with Quanzell Lambert, suffered an injury in the game versus Iowa. "Just address the injury update, many of you guys already know about Janarion Grant and Quanzell Lambert suffering season-ending injuries last Saturday," head coach Chris Ash said. "Just thoughts, prayers, go out to those two players, great human beings, great teammates, have worked extremely hard to be the best that they could be. You know, in this program, were off to great starts to the season and obviously are going to be sorely missed not only in the field but in the locker room and just around every single day. They come to work with a great attitude and a smile on their face and always a pleasure to be around.")
Andre Patton: Making the Family Proud
By Enmanuel Perez-Mendoza
Senior wide receiver Andre Patton fell in love with the game of football from the moment he started playing it back when he was six years old. But there's one thing in this world Patton loves more than football: his grandparents. Throughout his playing career, Patton's grandparents have remained a constant source of support and he credits them for his success on and off the field.
"My grandparents are my heart and my soul," said Patton. "They're the people that drive me to give it my all every single day. They're the ones that keep me going when things get rough. They're the main reason why I'm up here playing collegiate football. They took me out of public school and put me in a catholic school. They surrounded me with people that would push me, guided me and helped me succeed. I'm very thankful for my grandparents and everything they have done for me. I wouldn't be here without them."
The Wilmington, Delaware, native was a three-star recruit coming out of high school. He was an attractive option due to his versatility and ball skills. He was rated the No. 1 player in Delaware by ESPN.com and 247Sports. Patton was aggressively sought after by many schools, particularly by schools in the Big East. But he says there was one school in particular who really grabbed his attention.
"I first got in contact with Rutgers my sophomore year. After Rutgers, a couple of other schools got in contact but Rutgers was my first choice and one that I really liked," said Patton. "When I came up here I fell in love with the people. I really liked the guys on the football team and felt like I related to them more than the guys from other schools. When it was time for me to make a decision, I just remembered how much effort the coaches from Rutgers put into trying to recruit me and how they wanted me no matter what."
Rutgers was an attractive option from the get-go and the effort put forth by the coaches only aided the cause to bring him and his skills to the Scarlet Knights. In 2012, the Big Ten announced that Rutgers would be making the move to their conference during Patton's playing career, so attending this University presented Patton with an incredible opportunity to receive some exposure. But, as mentioned before, Patton loves his grandparents more than anything else in this world. He says the distance between his home and the campus was what really sealed the deal for him.
"My home is about an hour and thirty minutes away. The reason why distance was such a big factor for me was because I've lived with my grandparents since I was little," said Patton. "They always come to my games. So I thought `Why should I go thousands of miles away when I can go to this great university that really wants me and also be close to home?' It was an easy choice to make."
Once he got here, Patton quickly realized that he had made the right decision and has no regrets.
"I like the relationships that I have built. Not just with football players and coaches but with other people outside of football. I've met some incredible students and professors during my time here. The people you meet in college can be lifetime friends and I feel like I've met some people like that during my time here at Rutgers. Like I said before, I love the people out here. I also really love Jersey food. The food up here is very delicious. The fat cat is probably my favorite from here. I try not to eat too many of them though; I'm trying to watch my figure."
When asked about his fondest memory here at Rutgers, Patton recalls one game in particular.
"My fondest memory here at Rutgers was the game against Michigan our first year in the Big Ten. It was a back and forth game and it came down to one of the last plays. They were going to kick a field goal and we blocked it. After we recovered, I slowly started to grasp what had just happened. Seeing that field goal get blocked, the game ending and then turning around and seeing the students rush the field. It's not only my fondest memory here at Rutgers; it was definitely one of the best moments of my life."
Like most collegiate football players, Patton aspires to someday make it to the NFL. He's aware of the work he's going to have to put in order to make it there and believes that he can do it. If football doesn't work out, he has a very intriguing back up plan.
"I do plan on making it to the next level. I'm training really hard and giving it my all out there on the field so that I can make that a reality. If that doesn't happen I'll still have my bachelor's degree in criminal justice. I feel like the connections that I've made can help me get started down that path if football doesn't work out. I'd like to make my way to the FBI. I find that stuff so intriguing and I love learning all about it. It sparks my mind."
