2026 Big Ten Football Media Day Preview
Jul 27 | Football
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Big Ten Football Media Days will be held this week at the Hilton Chicago, with Rutgers football making the rounds on Tuesday, day one of the three-day event. Along with head coach Greg Schiano, the Scarlet Knights will be represented by OL Kwabena Asamoah, WR KJ Duff and RB Antwan Raymond. The group will appear live on Big Ten Network in addition to wide-ranging interviews with national and local media outlets throughout the day.
Schiano will take the main podium live at 12:45 p.m. ET and join the studio set at 3:15 p.m. ET. The three student-athletes will appear on the Big Ten Network set at 3 p.m. ET. Follow @RFootball on X and Instagram throughout the day for behind-the-scenes coverage.
Rutgers opens the season Thursday, Sept. 3 hosting UMass at SHI Stadium. Season and single game tickets for all seven home games are on sale. To purchase, visit 2026 Ticket Central or call 866-445-GORU (4678). Benefits of being a season ticket holder include an exclusive opportunity to purchase season parking on Busch campus within walking distance to SHI Stadium, a payment plan option and other Rutgers ticket offers throughout the year.
All three player representatives earned All-America status in 2025, as the offense averaged 407.1 yards per game for the program's best mark since joining the Big Ten. In the classroom, the Scarlet Knights set program highs with 65 student-athletes named Academic All-Big Ten, a 3.43 team GPA during the fall semester and led all FBS programs with 21 named to the National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society.
HEAD COACH GREG SCHIANO
Schiano will take the main podium live at 12:45 p.m. ET and join the studio set at 3:15 p.m. ET. The three student-athletes will appear on the Big Ten Network set at 3 p.m. ET. Follow @RFootball on X and Instagram throughout the day for behind-the-scenes coverage.
Rutgers opens the season Thursday, Sept. 3 hosting UMass at SHI Stadium. Season and single game tickets for all seven home games are on sale. To purchase, visit 2026 Ticket Central or call 866-445-GORU (4678). Benefits of being a season ticket holder include an exclusive opportunity to purchase season parking on Busch campus within walking distance to SHI Stadium, a payment plan option and other Rutgers ticket offers throughout the year.
All three player representatives earned All-America status in 2025, as the offense averaged 407.1 yards per game for the program's best mark since joining the Big Ten. In the classroom, the Scarlet Knights set program highs with 65 student-athletes named Academic All-Big Ten, a 3.43 team GPA during the fall semester and led all FBS programs with 21 named to the National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society.
HEAD COACH GREG SCHIANO
- The all-time wins leader in Rutgers football history, Greg Schiano is in his 18th season as the head football coach "On the Banks." The second tenure, now in the Big Ten, has been highlighted by exciting victories, bowl appearances, academic success and a pipeline of players to the NFL. All of this has taken place with increased fan support and unprecedented attendance records.
- Overall, Schiano has directed the Scarlet Knights to three bowl appearances in the past five years, nine postseason berths and six bowl championships. He has coached 118 RU players who signed NFL contracts, including at least one draft pick each of the past five years to tie a school record, while guiding the program to the top APR score in the nation and seeing the program post a record high in GPA and Academic All-Big Ten honorees during the fall 2025 semester. The 2006 National Coach of the Year owns three nine-win campaigns and coached 23 Rutgers All-America selections, including five over the past two seasons.
- The 2025 Scarlet Knights averaged 407.1 yards of total offense overall and 389.1 in Big Ten play, the team's best marks in a season since joining the league. Rutgers had the second-leading passer (QB Athan Kaliakmanis, 260.3) and third-leading rusher (RB Antwan Raymond, 103.4) and receiver (WR KJ Duff, 90.3) in the Big Ten, as RU was one of eight teams nationally to produce a 3,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard rusher and 1,000-yard receiver. It was the second time in program history achieving the feat and first time since 2007. Duff and Raymond, who were both Second Team All-Big Ten honorees, joined OL Kwabena Asamoah as All-America selections. On special teams, Rutgers led the nation with three punt return touchdowns, all off blocked punts, and leads the nation with 13 blocked punts since 2022.
KWABENA ASAMOAH
- Asamoah started all 12 games at right guard in 2025 and each of the past 25 at the position dating back to the previous season.
- A Second Team All-America by ESPN, he blocked for an offense that averaged 389.1 yards of total offense in Big Ten play, the team's best mark in a season since joining the league. The unit had a 3,000-yard passer, 1,000-yard rusher and 1,000-yard receiver for the second time in program history and first time since 2007. In addition, Rutgers ranked 14th nationally in time of possession (32:31), 15th in yards per completion (13.7) and 20th in first downs gained (279) following the regular season.
- The Pickerington, Ohio, native is a two-time honorable mention All-Big Ten pick.
KJ DUFF
- Duff, an Academic All-Big Ten honoree, ranked third in the Big Ten, fourth among Power 4 players and seventh nationally with 90.3 receiving yards per game in 2025. One of three players in the Big Ten to total 1,000 receiving yards, he became the seventh Scarlet Knight to reach 1,000 in a season, the second in the Big Ten era and first since 2014.
- The 1,084 receiving yards included three games in triple figures with a high of 241 on six receptions in the win at Purdue, the fourth most in a 2025 game nationally, most by a Big Ten player and the second highest by a Scarlet Knight in program history. Duff led the nation with 22 contested catches according to Pro Football Focus, earned honorable mention All-America by Phil Steele and was voted Second Team All-Big Ten.
- The Riverhead, New York, native had at least five catches in eight games on the way to totaling 60 overall, ninth most in a season in program history, and placed second in the league with 18.1 yards per reception. Fifty of his receptions picked up a first down or scored a touchdown, as he reached the end zone seven times.
ANTWAN RAYMOND
- Raymond, one of 10 semifinalists for the Doak Walker National Running Back Award, winner of the Cornish Trophy as the top Canadian in college football and a Fourth Team All-America pick by Phil Steele, finished 2025 with 244 carries for 1,241 yards and 15 touchdowns (13 rushing, two receiving). The rushing total ranked third in the Big Ten, 14th nationally and eighth most in a season in program history.
- He had four games with at least 100 rushing yards, topped by a 240-yard performance on a school-record-tying 41 attempts in the win over Maryland. The running back scored at least one touchdown in 10 games in ranking third in the league in trips to the end zone, second with 122.2 all-purpose yards per game and eighth nationally with 244 rushing attempts.
- The performance merited Second Team All-Big Ten honors in both the media and coaches vote, while also earning Academic All-Big Ten and College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team® status.
2026 Rutgers Football
Thursday, Sept. 3 vs. UMass, 6 p.m., Big Ten Network
Friday, Sept. 11 at Boston College, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2
Saturday, Sept. 19 vs. USC*, 3:30 p.m., CBS (presented by Motorola Solutions)
Friday, Sept. 25 (R Community Day featuring: Eric LeGrand's "A Walk to Believe") vs. Howard, 7 p.m., Big Ten Network (presented by GGL Injury Lawyers)
Saturday, Oct. 3 (Homecoming & Family Weekend) vs. Indiana*, 8 p.m. (presented by RWJBarnabas Health)
Saturday, Oct. 17 at Maryland*, no later than 5 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 24 at Northwestern*
Saturday, Oct. 31 vs. Michigan* (presented by PNC Bank)
Saturday, Nov. 7 at Wisconsin*
Saturday, Nov. 14 vs. Nebraska* (presented by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey)
Saturday, Nov. 21 at Penn State*
Saturday, Nov. 28 vs. Michigan State* (presented by Provident Bank)
* - Big Ten
All Times Eastern
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