Success in the Sunshine State
Dec 29 | Football
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – When Rutgers football takes the field on Friday in the Taxslayer Gator Bowl, it does so with deep ties to the Sunshine State. Seven Scarlet Knights on the current roster hail from Florida, which includes defensive lineman Mayan Ahanotu (Tampa), defensive back Todd Bowles Jr. (Tampa), linebacker Austin Dean (Tampa), defensive lineman Henry Hughes Jr. (Tampa), quarterback Gavin Rupp (Tampa), wide receiver Isaiah Washington (Jacksonville) and wide receiver Joshua Youngblood (Tampa).
Ahanotu, Dean, Washington and Youngblood all saw action this past fall. Ahanotu registered 17 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss and a strip-sack in 12 outings, Youngblood scored against then-No. 11 Ohio State and Washington was the team's fourth-leading receiver with 17 receptions.
Washington – who produced multiple catches in five games in 2021 – went to high school at Trinity Christian Academy, located just 10 miles away from TIAA Bank Field. Friday's game against No. 20 Wake Forest (11 a.m., ESPN) will be an opportunity for Washington to compete in front of friends and family right in his hometown.
"Last time I played in Jacksonville, I was a high school senior,'' Washington said. "It means a lot to go back to my hometown and see what we can do."
Rutgers also added two signees during the December signing period – wide receiver Amarion Brown (Stuart) and offensive lineman Dantae Chin (Weston). The duo was part of a top-25 class for head coach Greg Schiano and the highest-ranked class (No. 22 on Signing Day) by 247Sports in program history.
The relationship between the State University of New Jersey and the Sunshine State is one Schiano believes is imperative to his program's success. With experience as the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as well as the defensive coordinator at Miami, he knows how much talent is in the area.
"We're back in a bowl game and in an area that has been really good to us. The state of Florida overall and the Jacksonville area have been very good to Rutgers football over the years. To be back down there in that location for what amounts to half a week with the media coverage we'll get, that's always good."
Plenty of standout Floridians have walked the halls of the Hale Center during Schiano's tenure as head coach of the Scarlet Knights. The list includes Tim Brown, Eric Foster, Justin Francis, Gary Gibson, Jawan Jamison, Kaleb Johnson and Damaso Muñoz, who all signed NFL contracts after their playing careers "On the Banks."
Brown (pictured above) is just one example of why the New Jersey-Florida connection is important. The Miami native had an impact in Rutgers' first-ever bowl championship – a 37-10 victory over Kansas State in the 2006 Texas Bowl. Brown hauled in four catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns to help the Scarlet Knights cap an historic 11-2 campaign during Schiano's first stint as head coach. Brown is second all-time in receiving touchdowns (20) and sixth all-time in receiving yards (2,257).
Johnson and Muñoz – who are both on the current staff – have also contributed to RU bowl victories. Johnson – a Jacksonville native – started in Rutgers' 40-21 win over North Carolina in the 2014 Quick Lane Bowl, while Muñoz put an exclamation mark on a 45-24 win over UCF with a 35-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the 2009 St. Petersburg Bowl at Tropicana Field.
Safe to say, there are plenty of familiarities between Rutgers and Florida, and getting a chance to compete on national television in a vital recruiting area can only help the program continue to build in the Big Ten Conference.
But for now, Schiano is focused on delivering Rutgers to its seventh postseason championship in program history.
"I'm so happy for our players to be able to experience a great bowl game atmosphere," Schiano said.
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