The next edition of our position previews for Rutgers football features a unit that only gets a lot of attention when they do not do their job well. This position, of course, is the offensive line.
Last season, Rutgers had one of the most dominant offensive lines in the Big Ten. In 2023, the Rutgers offensive line unit led the Big Ten for the fewest sacks surrendered with 14, although it should be noted that Rutgers had the second least passes attempted across the Big Ten. The big guys up front also played a major role in helping Rutgers running back Kyle Monangai become the Big Ten leading rusher, because how good can a running back be with no holes to run through? Below is a review of the likely starting offensive line for Rutgers this season.
The Starting offensive line
Left Tackle Hollin Pierce
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There is not much to say about Pierce that isn’t already out there. He was named to the college football top 100 players list and received all-Big Ten honors for his performance last season. There was a question of whether or not he would come back for this season but he ultimately decided to return to the Knights. Barring anything terrible, Pierce will be an anchor of the Knights line during the final year of his collegiate career.
Left Guard Bryan Felter
Bryan Felter has been a staple on the Rutgers offensive line for three seasons, despite missing some time in 2022 because of injury. Felter redshirted his freshman year in 2020 but saw himself as the top guy in the rotation his sophomore year, playing in all 12 games in 2021. He continued to rotate in before his injury in 2022 and in 2023 he appeared in all 13 games, getting the starting nod for the season before the game at Wisconsin. He also earned an all-Big Ten honorable mention from the media in 2023. His experience and his time left to learn put Rutgers in a very good position at left guard.
Center Gus Zilinskas
Rutgers will be set at the center position for as long as Zilinskas decides to be a Scarlet Knight. Last season, Zilinskas started all 13 games, was voted to an all-Big Ten honorable mention by the media, and was named to the All-ECAC offense. He still has two years of eligibility remaining. Expect Zilinskas to be a stalwart on the Knight’s offensive line for years to come.
Right Guard Kwabena Asamoah
Last year, Kwabena Asamoah made five starts at right guard and appeared in 12 games. As of right now, he is the most experienced player at the right guard position that Rutgers has right now besides Reggie Sutton who has played all up and down the Knights line in his career. Asamoah was awarded the Mark Mills Second Effort Award for being the most improved offensive player in spring practice. He still has three years of eligibility remaining.
It would make the most sense to name Asamoah the starter because he is a starting Big Ten caliber right guard but also because it frees up Sutton to be the guy who gets plugged in all up and down the offensive line during his last year in college.
Right Tackle Tyler Needham/Shedrick Rhodes Jr.
The hardest position on the Knights’ offensive line to predict is the right tackle. Shedrick Rhodes Jr., who was obtained by Rutgers this offseason in the transfer portal will most likely receive most of the reps with Tyler Needham getting a lot of rotation time. Rhodes Jr. has a lot more experience with only one year of eligibility left while Needham has a lot more time to develop and is coming off a season-ending injury, so Rutgers will probably use him as the second guy in the rotation so he can gain experience while not being overworked and hindering his recovery.
Reggie Sutton also has a lot of experience here and can cut himself into the rotation, which would be a very likely scenario.
