Next up on our list of Rutgers 2024 position previews we have the wide receiver core. In 2023, the Rutgers wide receiver core was often overlooked thanks to having poor quarterback play and lacking a true number-one receiver. Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano worked to change that in the offseason bringing in talent at both the receiver and quarterback positions. The list below is based on the projected number-one receiver status.
Wide Receivers Preview
Dymere Miller
Miller was brought in to be Rutgers’ No.1 guy at the receiver position. His stats, despite playing at lower-level Monmouth University, are insane. During his senior year at Monmouth, he was an FCS All-American playing in all 11 games totaling 1,293 receiving yards on 90 catches for an average of 117 yards a game. He also boasted 9 touchdowns on the year. The hope of the Rutgers faithful is that at least most of his talent will translate to the higher level so that Rutgers can have its true No.1 receiver, something that they have been missing for a long time.
Christian Dremel
I had some debate on whether to put Dremel or Brantley in this spot but I ultimately decided to put Dremel here because he was technically Rutgers’ No.1 wide receiver last year despite not having the best numbers. Last season Dremel had 36 catches for 468 yards and three touchdowns. Despite these low numbers, he is in the position to have a better year this year because he has a better quarterback throwing him the ball and he will have a better supporting cast around him, which in turn will give him better opportunities to make a play. He has a good situation that can lead to a major boost in his production.
Naseim Brantley
Brantley has an opportunity to make a huge impact this season and an opportunity to leapfrog himself to the top of this list. The only reason why he was put this far down is because of Miller’s dominance at the lower levels and because he missed a season due to an eligibility issue.
He was dominant in the Rutgers spring game surprising many with how in sync he was with quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis. During his last season at Western Illinois, he totaled 53 catches for 893 yards and 9 touchdowns, leading his conference in receiving yards and receiving yards per game. However, due to the NCAA eligibility issue, Brantley has had over a season in practice with FBS secondaries meaning that his transition to big-time college football game days won’t be as drastic as it would be for someone who has a limited amount of time to step up u practice before game day. That’s the secret advantage Brantley has in all of this.
Ian Strong
Strong had a very impressive freshman campaign for the Knights. Last season Strong had 16 catches for 230 yards and two touchdowns, even recording a catch in Rutgers’ Pinstripe Bowl win over Miami. He had his best game against Wisconsin recording four catches and a touchdown against the Badgers. Since Rutgers is bringing in so much help from the lower levels it might affect how much he gets on the field but being the fourth guy and the first one rotated in as a sophomore is a tremendous opportunity. Look for his number to take a major jump this season.
Chris Long
The margin between him and Ian Strong is very small, giving a slight edge to Strong despite Long having more experience. In 2023 he looked poised to have his biggest season yet but was knocked out against Northwestern in week one after having two catches against them. In 2022 as a sophomore, he totaled 15 catches for 200 yards and one touchdown, his only so far. His stats could improve for the same reasons Dremels improve, the team around him is much better. If he recovers well from his injuries he could be a nice fill-in guy for Rutgers.
The next three Rutgers receivers are very even in how much they have shown us on the football field. Dylan Braithwaite, Thomas Amankwaa, and Famah Toure round out the list. Amankwaa has played in the most games out of the three as a special teams specialist, however, Toure has had the biggest impact at the wide receiver position playing in two games and recording two catches. These three will have an opportunity to boost their stats this season because Rutgers will need to call some names up to round out their wide receiver rotation.
