PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Willington Previlon is the only senior on the Rutgers defensive line this season. Having worked his way up to a starter, the Orange, New Jersey, native has played in 29 career games. His experience is important in helping his performance, as well as teaching the underclassmen to build depth at the position group.
 
"I think the year's been going pretty good for me so far," Previlon said. "I've been trying to focus on the little things to improve my game and help my young brothers on the d-line."
 
And Previlon is qualified to mentor both at inside and outside, having seen extensive action at several spots on the line.
 
"It speaks to his athleticism that he can do multiple jobs and then do multiple jobs with minimum mistakes, which is really, really good," defensive line coach Corey Brown said. "I think he's going to continue to help us in that type of role, which will help us grow even faster."
 
While each position, whether it be defensive end, nose tackle or defensive tackle, may have different responsibilities and technique, Previlon says the mentality is the same. Playing aggressively and attacking the opponent is key.
 
Previlon was fortunate to learn how to play with aggression from some of the past leaders of the Rutgers defensive line. That includes three-time captain Darius Hamilton, Homer Hazel Award winner Julian Pinnix-Odrick, NFL starter Sebastian Joseph-Day and second-round NFL draft pick Kemoko Turay. All were instrumental in developing Previlon, who took a redshirt in 2015 and was primarily on the scout team in 2016.
 
Then in 2017, Previlon broke into the lineup and played in all 12 games with four starts. He made his collegiate debut in the season opener against No. 8 Washington and deflected two passes, recording his first sack against Eastern Michigan.
 
"It was definitely the strength, the speed, having to realize the little things matter," Previlon said of making the adjustment to college football. "Believing in the small details makes a big difference."
 
Previlon played in all 12 games again last year with 23 tackles, 21 coming against the run. He had two sacks on the season, including one in the end zone for a safety versus Northwestern on Homecoming. It was the first Rutgers safety since 2009.
 
Moving ahead to this season, Previlon has continued to grow as a player and a leader. He has started the first four games and had two tackles-for-loss at No. 20 Iowa.
 
"I would say his maturity has shown from a leadership standpoint," Brown said. "He's not the most vocal guy, but he understood the situation that he was in last year and how this year is different. He had taken the step to grow in that capacity and he's done that. He helps lead our unit and helps bring along some younger guys that are inexperienced."
 
Previlon enjoys competing against his teammates in video games off the field, while also taking time to play music.
 
"I've always been into musical instruments," Previlon said. "My first instrument was the guitar, then I played the trombone, then the baritone. Now I'm on the piano. I've been playing for five years now. When I feel like I want to be a little to myself, I play the piano and focus on that."
 
Academically, Previlon is an information technology and informatics major. A growing field, the program is within the School of Communication and Information and has a curriculum that "teaches students how to evaluate, implement, use and manage information technologies for most organizations and corporations."
 
Previlon is most interested in security, data analytics and networking.
 
"Rutgers has really helped me pursue this," Previlon said.
 
Previlon, who started playing football in seventh grade, was excited to have the opportunity to come to Rutgers on a scholarship. He impressed at a summer camp and earned an offer. Then as a senior, he recorded nine sacks, 61 tackles and forced two fumbles for Orange High School to collect Star-Ledger First Team All-Group III and First Team All-Super Essex Conference. Scout rated him as the No. 4 defensive end in New Jersey.
 
Now in his final season, Previlon is focused on helping the Scarlet Knights improve each day.
 
"The truth of the matter is, his potential is very, very high," Brown said. "We have to work daily at it and focus on just what he needs to get better at. I think that he does that with his approach, and if we keep doing that and push him daily, the sky is the limit for him."