Take a look at the depth chart for Rutgers’ game against Illinois this Saturday, thumb through the 18 first- or second-year players among the 51-player two-deep, and it begs the question:
Why does Rutgers lack Big Ten-level talent — and experience — at so many key positions?
The answer is simple: retention.
While Rutgers' recruiting has been subpar since joining the Big Ten — ranking 10th (2014), 10th (2015), 14th (2016) and 9th (2017), according to Rivals.com's annual conference rankings — retaining players has been a major issue as well.