2026 Rutgers Football Depth Chart

Rutgers brings in transfer QB Dylan Lonergan to stabilize the offense, and we expect him to win the job over local sophomore AJ Surace. Lonergan’s Power Five experience and 2,000-yard season at Boston College give him an edge in both polish and snap count (487 snaps in 2025 vs. just 34 for Surace). Surace is talented and viewed as the future, but Lonergan’s familiarity with OC Kirk Ciarrocca’s system (from their Big Ten days) and his proven production – like a 389-yard, 4-TD game against Michigan State – make him the safer fantasy bet to open 2026. In the backfield, Antwan Raymond is a no-brainer RB1 after erupting for 1,241 yards and 15 total TDs as a sophomore. He’s a true workhorse (41 carries in one game vs. Maryland) with little committee risk. Behind Raymond, Rutgers added Clay Thevenin from Louisiana Tech to replace departed depth, and his receiving skills (33 catches in 2025) could earn him third-down snaps. Homegrown junior Ja’shon Benjamin will push for touches as well – he filled in with 66 yards on 11 carries when pressed into duty late last year – but his role depends on health and whether Thevenin’s all-around game translates to Big Ten play.

At wide receiver, KJ Duff’s return for 2026 is a game-changer. Duff was an ESPN Top-100 player in 2025 and profiles as the clear alpha target with Ian Strong now gone to Cal via the portal. We’re slotting junior Ben Black next, as his experience (played all 12 games with three starts in 2025) and solid speed should make him a reliable option on the outside. The rest of the receiving corps is brimming with young upside, and we’re aggressively high on redshirt freshman Vernon Allen III as a breakout candidate. Allen turned heads by hauling in 5 catches for 98 yards in the spring game, showcasing big-play ability that Rutgers desperately needs. He could leapfrog a steady veteran like Dylan Braithwaite (a senior slot receiver) in fantasy relevance, even if Braithwaite sees rotational snaps. We round out the depth chart with two more athletic redshirt freshmen – Michael Thomas III and Sah’nye Degraffenreidt – who both flashed in brief action (Thomas snagged a 25-yard TD in his debut). This youthful group behind Duff has uncertainty, but the opportunity is there for a playmaker like Allen (or another 2025 recruit) to seize a starting role and meaningful targets. In sum, Duff should dominate looks, Black offers a higher floor as a proven contributor, and a high-ceiling youngster like Allen could emerge as a fantasy sleeper once roles shake out.

Tight end usage at Rutgers favors receiving ability over blocking, so we’re watching the Logan Blake vs. Kam Anthony battle closely. The Scarlet Knights lost both veteran TEs after 2025, meaning the 6’6″ Blake (a redshirt junior) and Ball State transfer Anthony will be thrust into duty. Anthony brings three years of eligibility and upside – he started 12 games last year and caught 5 of 6 targets for 112 yards in Ball State’s final four contests, including a 29-yard game-winning TD. He’s coming off an Achilles injury but is expected to be fully cleared for 2026. We suspect Rutgers will use Blake as an in-line blocker and red-zone option, while deploying Kam Anthony as the primary route-runner at TE. For fantasy purposes, Anthony’s late-season receiving burst and athletic fit in the scheme give him the nod as TE1, with Blake a close TE2 who could still see plenty of snaps and goal-line targets. Finally, with record-setting kicker Jai Patel (77.6% career FG, 38 makes) moving on, we project sophomore Dane Pizarro to take over kicking duties. Pizarro was trusted for a 56-yard attempt in a clutch spot last year – a sign of his leg strength – and should benefit from an offense that’s trending upward. He’ll be a matchup-based fantasy kicker, but the role is clearly his to lose.