Ramel Meekins - Director of Football Academics - Football Support Staff

Ramel Meekins

Title:
Director of Football Academics
Email:
ramel.meekins@rutgers.edu
Phone:
732-445-6184

Where R They Now Feature Article: Ramel Meekins

Ramel Meekins serves as the Director of Football Academics at Rutgers University, where he leads the academic support program for Scarlet Knights football. In this role, he oversees the comprehensive academic development of more than 130 student-athletes, working collaboratively with coaches, campus partners, and athletics staff to promote academic achievement, NCAA and Big Ten eligibility, degree completion, and student-athlete success.

Since joining Rutgers Athletics in 2011, Meekins has held several leadership roles within Academic Support for Student-Athletes, including more than a decade as an Athletic Academic Advisor before being named Director of Football Academics. Throughout his tenure, he has helped develop academic support strategies that have contributed to Rutgers Football achieving the highest cumulative GPA in program history, sustained growth in student-athlete academic achievement, and a program-record 21 National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society selections in 2026.

Before returning to Rutgers, Meekins served as an assistant football coach at Tiffin University and later as an In-School Suspension Coordinator for the Teaneck Board of Education, experiences that further strengthened his commitment to mentoring and developing young people.

A former Rutgers football captain playing for head coach Greg Schiano, Meekins joined the Scarlet Knights as a walk-on in 2003 before earning a scholarship and becoming one of the program's most accomplished defensive linemen. He was a two-time Defensive MVP (2005, 2006), the inaugural Axe Player of the Year in 2005, and a Second Team All-BIG EAST selection in 2006. His 17 career sacks remain tied for eighth in program history, while his 3.5 sacks against Cincinnati in 2005 rank second in a single game. Following his collegiate career, Meekins signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent and later played professionally with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. Meekins also lettered for the wrestling program at Rutgers, where he was an NCAA Qualifier.

A native of Westwood, New Jersey, Meekins earned a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and Sociology with a minor in Psychology from Rutgers University.