Rutgers returns five starters on offense, eight starters on defense and its primary placekicker, punter and long-snapper. But after finishing 2-10 overall and winless in Big Ten play, coach Chris Ash figures to have an open mind at virtually every position across the board this spring.
There are several obvious position battles that figure to extend into the summer, when a top-40 recruiting class enters the training-camp mix. For now, here are nine position battles to keep an eye on when spring camp begins on Thursday, March 23:
Gone is Chris Muller, who started the past four seasons at right guard, and redshirt junior Marcus Applefield — who served as Muller’s primary backup last season — is expected to be limited due to injury in spring camp.