# 2017 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

The 2017 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represented Rutgers University during the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Scarlet Knights played their home games at High Point Solutions Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey and competed as members of the East Division of the Big Ten Conference. They were led by second-year head coach Chris Ash. They finished the season 4–8, 3–6 in Big Ten play to finish in fifth place in the East Division.

## Recruiting
### Position key

| Back | B | Center | C | Cornerback | CB | Defensive back | DB |
| Defensive end | DE | Defensive lineman | DL | Defensive tackle | DT | End | E |
| Fullback | FB | Guard | G | Halfback | HB | Kicker | K |
| Kickoff returner | KR | Offensive tackle | OT | Offensive lineman | OL | Linebacker | LB |
| Long snapper | LS | Punter | P | Punt returner | PR | Quarterback | QB |
| Running back | RB | Safety | S | Tight end | TE | Wide receiver | WR |

### Recruits

The Scarlet Knights signed a total of 26 recruits.
US college sports recruiting information for 2017 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Naijee Jones CB | Sicklerville, New Jersey | Timber Creek HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Nov 23, 2015 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Bo Melton WR | Egg Harbor City, New Jersey | Cedar Creek HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Apr 15, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Micah Clark OT | Holmdel, New Jersey | St. John Vianney HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 265 lb (120 kg) | Apr 19, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Jamaal Beaty OG | Holmdel, New Jersey | St. John Vianney HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Apr 19, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Everett Wormley WR | Burlington Township, New Jersey | Burlington Township HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Apr 22, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Jonathan Lewis QB | Jersey City, New Jersey | St. Peter's Prep | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Apr 30, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Tim Barrow CB | Staten Island, New York | Tottenville HS | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 188 lb (85 kg) | May 5, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Samuel Vrteman OT | Cheshire, Connecticut | Cheshire Academy | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 295 lb (134 kg) | May 16, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Edwin Lopez S | Camden, New Jersey | Woodrow Wilson HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Jun 1, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Owen Bowles OG | Egg Harbor City, New Jersey | Cedar Creek HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 285 lb (129 kg) | Jun 12, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| C.J. Onyechi LB | West Orange, New Jersey | West Orange HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Jun 16, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Tyler Hayek S | Wayne, New Jersey | Wayne Hills HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Jun 25, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Tyshon Fogg LB | Towson, Maryland | Calvert Hall HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 216 lb (98 kg) | Jun 26, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Olakunle Fatukasi LB | Brooklyn, New York | Grand Street HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Jun 28, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Shameen Jones WR | The Bronx, New York | Cardinal Hayes HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 171 lb (78 kg) | Jun 28, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Jaohne Duggan DE | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania | Liberty HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 275 lb (125 kg) | Jun 28, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Mike Tverdov DE | Union, New Jersey | Union HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | Jul 13, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Brendan Bordner DE | Hilliard, Ohio | Hilliard Bradley HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 240 lb (110 kg) | Dec 14, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Brendan Devera LB | Wayne, New Jersey | Wayne Hills HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 231 lb (105 kg) | Jan 23, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Tijaun Mason DE | Memphis, Tennessee | Trezevant HS | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Jan 24, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Travis Vokolek TE | Springfield, Missouri | Kickapoo HS | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Jan 28, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Hunter Hayek WR | Wayne, New Jersey | Wayne Hills HS | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Jan 29, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Syhiem Simmons S | Montgomery, Alabama | Carver HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Jan 29, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A |||||||
| Elijah Barnwell RB | Piscataway, New Jersey | Piscataway Township HS | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Jan 31, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Eddie Lewis WR | Middletown, New Jersey | Mater Dei HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 179 lb (81 kg) | Feb 1, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Raheem Blackshear WR | Warminister, Pennsylvania | Archbishop Wood HS | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Feb 1, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Rutgers Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 28, 2017. "2017 Rutgers Football Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved January 28, 2017. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 28, 2017. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved January 28, 2017. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 28, 2017. |||||||

## Schedule

Rutgers announced its 2017 football schedule on July 11, 2013. The 2017 schedule consisted of 6 home, 5 away, and 1 neutral site game in the regular season. The Scarlet Knights hosted Big Ten foes Michigan State, Ohio State, and Purdue, and traveled to Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, and Penn State. Rutgers played against Maryland in Bronx, New York at Yankee Stadium.
The Scarlet Knights hosted all three of the non-conference opponents, Eastern Michigan from the Mid-American Conference, Morgan State from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and Washington from the Pac-12 Conference.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 1 | 8:00 p.m. | No. 8 Washington* | High Point Solutions StadiumPiscataway, NJ | FS1 | L 14–30 | 46,093 |
| September 9 | 3:30 p.m. | Eastern Michigan* | High Point Solutions StadiumPiscataway, NJ | BTN | L 13–16 | 37,661 |
| September 16 | 3:30 p.m | Morgan State* | High Point Solutions StadiumPiscataway, NJ | BTN | W 65–0 | 39,892 |
| September 23 | 3:30 p.m. | at Nebraska | Memorial StadiumLincoln, NE | BTN | L 17–27 | 89,775 |
| September 30 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 11 Ohio State | High Point Solutions StadiumPiscataway, NJ | BTN | L 0–56 | 46,328 |
| October 14 | 12:00 p.m. | at Illinois | Memorial StadiumChampaign, IL | BTN | W 35–24 | 35,675 |
| October 21 | 12:00 p.m. | Purdue | High Point Solutions StadiumPiscataway, NJ | BTN | W 14–12 | 38,278 |
| October 28 | 12:00 p.m. | at Michigan | Michigan StadiumAnn Arbor, MI | BTN | L 14–35 | 111,213 |
| November 4 | 3:30 p.m. | Maryland | High Point Solutions StadiumPiscataway, NJ | BTN | W 31–24 | 35,221 |
| November 11 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 16 Penn State | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA | BTN | L 6–35 | 107,531 |
| November 18 | 12:00 p.m. | at Indiana | Memorial StadiumBloomington, IN | BTN | L 0–41 | 35,949 |
| November 25 | 4:00 p.m. | No. 21 Michigan State | High Point Solutions StadiumPiscataway, NJ | FOX | L 7–40 | 35,021 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||
    Schedule Source:

## Game summaries
### Washington

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #8 Huskies | 3 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 30 |
| Scarlet Knights | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
The Scarlet Knights opened the season by welcoming No. 8-ranked Washington to New Jersey. Rutgers took the early lead on a three-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Bolin to Janarion Grant. Washington answered with a field goal in the first quarter and a 61-yard punt return for a touchdown with the 3:50 seconds left in the half to take a 10–7 halftime lead. Though trailing, the Knights played well and hung with the highly ranked Huskies in the first half. However, Washington QB Jake Browning threw two second-half touchdown passes as Washington pulled away from the Scarlet Knights to win the game 30–14. The loss left the Scarlet Knights with an 0–1 record.

### Eastern Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 0 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 16 |
| Scarlet Knights | 6 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 13 |

### Morgan State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bears | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Scarlet Knights | 7 | 27 | 17 | 14 | 65 |

### At Nebraska

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Scarlet Knights | 7 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| Cornhuskers | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 27 |

### Ohio State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Buckeyes | 7 | 28 | 7 | 14 | 56 |
| Scarlet Knights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### At Illinois

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Scarlet Knights | 7 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
| Fighting Illini | 3 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 24 |

### Purdue

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Boilermakers | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 12 |
| Scarlet Knights | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |

### At Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Scarlet Knights | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Wolverines | 0 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 35 |

### Maryland

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Terrapins | 7 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 24 |
| Scarlet Knights | 0 | 17 | 0 | 14 | 31 |

### At Penn State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Scarlet Knights | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Nittany Lions | 0 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 35 |

### At Indiana

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Scarlet Knights | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Hoosiers | 17 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 41 |

### Michigan State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Spartans | 13 | 3 | 3 | 21 | 40 |
| Scarlet Knights | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |

## Players in the 2018 NFL Draft

| Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL club |
| Kemoko Turay | DE | 2 | 52 | Indianapolis Colts |
| Sebastian Joseph-Day | DT | 6 | 195 | Los Angeles Rams |