UCLA is just weeks away from starting its second season in the Big Ten. After capturing seven Big Ten championships during their first year in the conference, the Bruins will look to build upon their inaugural year. Prior to the start of UCLA’s second Big Ten campaign, Daily Bruin Sports will preview football, basketball and other top programs from each school.

Football
2024 Record: 7-6, 4-5 Big Ten
Coach: Greg Schiano
Player to watch: Dariel Djabome

Two extremes can offset each other.

And despite a winning overall record and a near .500 conference win percentage, polarizing performances on each end of the pigskin plagued Rutgers football in 2024.

Following a campaign during which the program finished in the upper half in total yards in the Big Ten, quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis will assume primary signal-caller duties for his second consecutive season.

The former Minnesota transfer finished his junior season just shy of 2,700 passing yards. While his 53.9% completion percentage was subpar – outside the top ten among Big Ten starting quarterbacks – Kaliakmanis still posted 18 passing touchdowns – sixth most by a Rutgers quarterback in a single season.

A diverse wideout core contributed to offensive progression, with 10 players reaching the endzone at least once last season. However, no Scarlet Knight eclipsed 800 receiving yards. Wideout Dymere Miller – the squad’s receiving leader – graduated, but wide receiver Ian Strong, who led the squad with five touchdowns, is set to return. The rising junior boasted more than double the receptions and yards he had in his freshman campaign.

Incoming North Texas transfer DT Sheffield, whose 822 yards last season ranked third in the American Conference, will likely bolster the passing attack.

However, coach Greg Schiano – Rutgers’ winningest head honcho – relied on the rushing attack to define his offensive scheme. Recent graduate running back Kyle Monangai recorded 13 rushing touchdowns in 2024, and his 1,279 ground yards were good for second in the Big Ten.

Antwan Raymond may replace Monangai’s production this season, after posting eight rushing touchdowns throughout his freshman campaign, including two on Nov. 30 against Michigan State, which helped him secure a Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor.

But while the Scarlet Knights excelled in the run game offensively, it was their biggest defensive weakness.

Rutgers gave up more than 30 points in seven of its last eight games, including a season-high 44 points in its Rate Bowl loss to Kansas State. The squad also allowed the second-most total yards and second-most rushing yards in the Big Ten last season, with 5,120 and 2,116, respectively.

The Scarlet Knights will likely rely on returning linebacker Dariel Djabome to herald the defense this upcoming season.

The Preseason All-Big Ten Second Team selection led his team in total tackles and tackles-for-loss, while tying for most forced fumbles. He also showcased his ability to pressure the quarterback, recording 3.5 sacks on the season.

But there is much to be desired outside of Djabome.

The next four leaders in total tackles last year all graduated. Although Rutgers retains one of its two leaders in sacks in defensive lineman Jordan Walker, he was one of just three players to boast more than three quarterback takedowns, illustrating the team’s weak front seven.

To alleviate this issue, Schiano brought in four-star transfer defensive lineman Bradley Weaver from Ohio, whose 8.5 sacks tied for second-most in the Mid-American Conference.

Regardless, how the Scarlet Knights recoup their losses and stabilize a crumbling defensive front could determine their performance in the relentless Big Ten heading into the 2025 season.

Men’s Basketball
2024-25 Record: 15-17, 8-12 Big Ten
Coach: Steve Pikiell
Player to watch: Darren Buchanan Jr.

Sports programs face volatile roster turnover every year in the NIL era.

And Rutgers men’s basketball is no exception.

After freshmen guard Dylan Harper and forward Ace Bailey – the only two five-star recruits in program history – were both top-five selections in the 2025 NBA Draft, the Scarlet Knights will return only four players from last season, none of whom broke the team’s top six in total points.

Tenth-year Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell will be forced to tap into the raw potential of an inexperienced roster that features six incoming freshmen.

Among that crew is four-star guard Lino Mark, who averaged 15.1 points per game on a 48% field goal percentage at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California. Mark’s dynamic scoring may bolster a squad that made less than 45% of its shot attempts from the field while boasting a sub-33% mark from beyond the arc last season. Mark’s quickness and explosiveness may warrant high usage, whether it be next to returning guard Jamichael Davis or in a sixth-man role.

Bolstering the backcourt is incoming NJIT transfer Tariq Francis, whose 19.2 points per game last year led the America East Conference and will help a squad looking to fill shooting holes. Francis also knocked down 84% of his free-throw attempts.

Pikiell will also need an offensive orchestrator after his squad tied for the fewest assists per game in the Big Ten. With the offensive burden that Harper and Bailey carried last year, the Scarlet Knights will likely rely on more diverse and collective contributions.

After Bailey’s departure, Rutgers will also need a go-to wing scorer, especially since opposing teams outscored Rutgers by 0.5 points per game last season.

George Washington transfer Darren Buchanan Jr., who has strong two-way potential, may represent the answer.

Despite being listed as a guard, Buchanan’s 6-foot-7 frame is atypical for the position and could help him excel on the defensive end. The guard blocked 13 shots and nabbed at least 30 steals in each of his past two campaigns.

Buchanan dipped in scoring production and efficiency from his 2023-2024 season, and he took a reduced role on the bench for more than half the 2024-2025 campaign. Still, he led George Washington in scoring in six games and posted three 20-plus-point performances.

The Washington, DC, local exudes versatility with his 6.2 rebounds per game throughout his collegiate career and five double-double performances last season.

The redshirt junior may benefit from a larger role and look to improve from his freshman stat line, in which he posted 15.6 points per game on a 54.6% field goal percentage.

The Scarlet Knights have only made the NCAA Tournament twice since 1991 and only made it to the second round once since 1983. How Pikiell and his squad adapt to an evolved roster will define their upcoming season.

Women’s Basketball
2024-25 Record: 13-20, 3-15 Big Ten
Coach: Coquese Washington
Player to watch: Faith Blackstone

It only takes a couple of months for a roster to revamp itself.

And that’s what Rutgers women’s basketball did following its fifth consecutive sub-15-win season.

Rutgers possessed a top-heavy roster led by guards Kiyomi McMiller and Destiny Adams, who averaged 18.7 and 17.9 points per game, respectively. However, the former transferred to Penn State, and the latter graduated.

Neither posted a field goal percentage eclipsing a 42% mark, and only one other Scarlet Knight cracked double-digit points. Consequently, Coquese Washington, who is entering her fourth year as head coach, helmed a roster that ranked either last or second-to-last in the Big Ten in every shooting percentage metric.

Washington may turn to forward Zachara Perkins – Rutgers’ leading returning scorer – to play a larger role.

Perkins started in 28 of Rutgers’ 32 games and, although she only averaged 5.3 points per game, the junior knocked down 32% of her 50 three-point attempts.

Incoming Arizona transfer guard Lauryn Swann could also see high usage next to Perkins. Swann drilled 39.1% of her three-pointers and attempted 4.1 per game in her freshman campaign.

Nonetheless, a low-achieving offense often means stagnant ball movement when shots aren’t falling. And the Scarlet Knights fell into this trap, since they mustered the fewest assists per game in the Big Ten last year.

However, Rutgers recruited incoming point guard Kaylah Ivey from Boston College to address these shortcomings.

The former Eagle averaged a combined 5.4 assists per game across her last two seasons, and she also carries vigorous defensive energy with her, as she’s totaled at least 20 steals in three of her four collegiate seasons.

While guard play was a point of emphasis for the Scarlet Knights heading into the offseason, a lack of physical presence also contributed to their poor record, since the squad forfeited the most total rebounds in the Big Ten last season. And the Scarlet Knights’ lack of height may have contributed to this ranking – only one player was listed above six-foot-three.

Although only 6 feet tall herself, incoming guard transfer Faith Blackstone’s versatility may produce paint optimism.

After leading Stephen F. Austin in scoring and ranking third in the Southland Conference overall, the graduate student brings an all-around game that flashes adept on-ball scoring while maintaining an imposing physical presence. Blackstone has improved her points per game average and three-point percentage each year of her career, most recently logging 14.8 points per contest along with a 36.4% long-range clip. She also posted a career-high 46.3 overall shot percentage last season.

Blackstone’s 1.8 steals will also generate more fast-break scoring opportunities, and her 6.1 rebounds showcase her hustle on the glass.

If Blackstone and the rest of the roster make collective improvements, Washington’s squad only has one direction to go: up.

Women’s Soccer
2024 Record: 11-5-5, 6-2-3 Big Ten
Coach: Mike O’Neill
Player to watch: Ashley Baran

Falling inches short of a trophy may provide all the motivation a program needs to reach the next level.

And that’s exactly the kind of fuel that Rutgers women’s soccer will use after losing to Connecticut 2-1 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season.

While the recent graduation of forward Riley Tiernan leaves the Scarlet Knights without their leading goal-scorer, they retain two of their four double-digit point scorers from 2024 in forward Ashley Baran and midfielder Allie Post.

The former earned a 2023 All-Big Ten Freshman honor and finished her 2024 campaign starting in all 21 of the squad’s matches, during which she posted six goals on a 0.150 shot percentage. Baran also netted three game-winners last season, including one in overtime on Nov. 2 to beat Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.

Post notched 10 points on a 0.138 shot percentage, and her 0.621 shot-on-goal percentage led the team among those playing in at least 20 games last year.

Baran and Post will likely lead an aggressive scoring campaign that looks to capitalize on their 2024 success, during which Rutgers recorded a plus-seven scoring margin and recorded 13 more assists than its opponents. The Scarlet Knights also boasted a team 0.102 shot percentage while holding opposing squads to 0.088.

Although the team flashed offensive prowess, Rutgers may look to improve its discipline after leading the Big Ten in yellow cards last season. The Scarlet Knights were also one of just two squads with multiple red card recipients in 2024.

To secure its defense, Rutgers returns goalkeeper Olivia Bodmer, who has started in every match of her career and holds a career save percentage of 0.793. The redshirt junior was named to last year’s Big Ten All-Tournament Team after allowing only two goals going into the finals and posting 13 saves across the whole tournament.

Rutgers has the coaching personnel to make a comeback despite the title defeat.

Coach Mike O’Neill returns for his 12th season at the helm and his 26th year overall with the Scarlet Knights. O’Neill was named Big Ten Coach of the Year just four seasons ago after capturing the 2021 conference title. He has also led his squad to an NCAA tournament berth every year as head coach, making four Big Ten Championship appearances as well.

While Rutgers sustained a first-round NCAA tournament exit last season to UConn, the squad’s coaching leadership may help urge another bid for championship glory.