Chris Ash with the Media--8/7/17--Hot Takes

Rutgers head coach Chris Ash took a few minutes to speak with the media after a wet and cloudy practice this past Monday. The main topics were the quarterbacks, running backs, and tight ends, as those are some of the major positions up for grabs, at least in terms of the pecking order.

About the QBs, Ash stressed that Giovanni Rescigno, Johnathan Lewis, and Kyle Bolin "were all getting reps with the ls," and didn't seem to want to put anybody in the driver's seat at the moment. I would have to think that simply based on familiarity, if the season were to start tomorrow Rescigno would get the nod, because not enough time has passed to evaluate the other guys enough to firmly unseat him. We'll see what happens in a week or two after they get another scrimmage under their belts.

Coach was a little more candid when discussing the running backs, singling out Gus Edwards in particular as someone who has stood out in practice. It's going to be interesting to see how this running back situation shakes out. Robert Martin and Josh Hicks have done some good things, but Edwards is a physically gifted player that brings a little something different to the table. Having three productive senior backs is not a bad situation to be in, to go along with some promising underclassmen.

Another interesting point was that Ash seemed to infer that it's likely that each of the top four tight ends will play "based on personnel grouping" and in that respect each could be considered a starter. The group currently consists of Nakia Griffin-Stewart, Miami transfer Jerome Washington, converted defensive end Myles Nash, and true freshman Travis Vokolek. As far as Nash is concerned, the one-day trial back on defense in the wake of Maddox-Williams's injury has been scuttled, and Nash will best serve the team from the tight end position. To me, tight end is a complete wildcard right now because of the lack of game experience at the position. I wouldn't be surprised if Rutgers is well into the season before any one person steps out ahead of the others. There's a huge range of size and skill sets among that group. It'll be fun to see how it shakes out.