Football Rutgers Football QB Ajani Sheppard to enter the Transfer Portal

[MADHAT1]

You are missing a huge part here
With better talent around him Sit may have been on par with Nova. Sit had some of the worst talent in Rutgers history and nova had some of the best

One thing people forget about Sit, with all the talent he had , he lost the starting position at IMG Academy his senior year.
Sit really needed to sit his freshman year , but once thrown in wasn't ready for prime time
Sometimes the talent is there, but doesn't develop enough to be a success.
Blame the talent around him, but it could be though Artur had talent he also had a slight defect that didn't let let him shine like everyone expected when he came to Rutgers.

 

[Plum Street]

One thing people forget about Sit, with all the talent he had , he lost the starting position at IMG Academy his senior year.
Sit really needed to sit his freshman year , but once thrown in wasn't ready for prime time
Sometimes the talent is there, but doesn't develop enough to be a success.
Blame the talent around him, but it could be though Artur had talent he also had a slight defect that didn't let let him shine like everyone expected when he came to Rutgers.

Or maybe the coaching sucked . Didnt every OC he played for at Rutgers get fired ??

 

[-RUFAN4LIFE-]

Or maybe the coaching sucked . Didnt every OC he played for at Rutgers get fired ??

Or maybe after failing under three different coaching staffs, he just wasn't P4 material.

He had so many red flags it's hard to blame it solely on coaching.

 

[Plum Street]

Or maybe after failing under three different coaching staffs, he just wasn't P4 material.

He had so many red flags it's hard to blame it solely on coaching.

I am not blaming it solely on coaching . It is probably that he the wasn’t that good, but the talent and coaching around him completely sucked

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Except that while Nova may have had Sit’s 18 Int, he would have also had 20 TD… Sit was 3…repeat, 3, TD and 18 Int..,

True, but it’s really not comparable. Nova had an excellent OL along with a fantastic blocking full back who is still playing in the NFL today. Sit had no chance of being successful with the OL he had.

You are missing a huge part here
With better talent around him Sit may have been on par with Nova. Sit had some of the worst talent in Rutgers history and nova had some of the best

No QB could’ve succeeded in Sit’s situation at RU. Tom Brady, Brett Favre, take your pick. None of them could’ve been successful - the QB was literally hit within seconds of the snap. And no, I dont actually think Sit was that good but his performance at Rutgers means nothing either way.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Artur should never have been in the lineup. He was so raw that he needed a redshirt and then some. It was criminal that McNulty and Ash put him out there for as long as they did.

I really don’t think anyone could’ve succeeded with how bad the line was.

 

[-RUFAN4LIFE-]

I really don’t think anyone could’ve succeeded with how bad the line was.

Yeah it had nothing to do with his inability to feel the rush and statuesque stance.

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

Except that while Nova may have had Sit’s 18 Int, he would have also had 20 TD… Sit was 3…repeat, 3, TD and 18 Int..,

but the talent on rosters was different, the playcalling was different, I showed you all how we became run heavy.. we all complained about the predictability.. run run pass. Yeah, Nova has a couple good season but there was a reason people complained about not having open QB competition and asked why we keep handing Nova the job. Nova's lowlights and WTF moments are unsurpassed.

Bringing it back to Wimsatt-Simon for a moment.. anyone remember this from that game? 0-10 near end of half.. GS using clock to score and leave them no time.. but Wimsatt has other ideas... in 2nd half




then this is play where Wimsatt gets rocked... and it should have ben targeting



Simon should have been given the rest of that game.

 

[vkj91]

Passing under Flood was arguably as good as it’s ever been at Rutger. Flood’s offense (which was really just a continuation of Schiano 1.0) required a competent full back to succeed. Michael Burton more than fit that bill. Ash was simply a moron. He hired a coordinator who tried to execute his system with Flood’s players in year one.

Isn’t that what everyone did pre portal? Our present OC was also called a moron for doing the same thing his first time here

 

[vkj91]

It's amazing how little some understand about the QB position and what they are watching on the field. Nova had a strong understanding of the position as a true freshman, Art was still trying to figure things out and everything was moving too fast for him.

Agree 100%. What’s amazing is Art is a hot young coach with huge upside now and Gary is jumping from parochial to parochial

 

[ashokan]

Nova's lowlights and WTF moments are unsurpassed.

He's only RU QB I saw get booed off the field (vs USF)

He had a strong arm - in HS he could burn a pass into coverage - in college he often underestimated closing speed of DBs.
If RU was behind near end of a tight game you could feel the dagger coming - the power chuck into tight coverage. It got to where I would turn-off the TV . It was like watching Favre throwing the late INTs in his late career.

 

[vkj91]

He's only RU QB I saw get booed off the field (vs USF)

He had a strong arm - in HS he could burn a pass into coverage - in college he often underestimated closing speed of DBs.
If RU was behind near end of a tight game you could feel the dagger coming - the power chuck into tight coverage. It got to where I would turn-off the TV . It was like watching Favre throwing the late INTs in his late career.

Where you not at the Arkansas game. While still mistake prone Nova was a better QB under the fridge. 4 years under a guy like him and he floats around NFL for a few years

 

[DJ Spanky]

Where you not at the Arkansas game. While still mistake prone Nova was a better QB under the fridge. 4 years under a guy like him and he floats around NFL for a few years

Yup. Hell, he had Spence for his sophomore and junior years as QB coach, and there were still flaws in his footwork and bonehead mistakes which were never corrected, such as his penchant for throwing an illegal forward pass. Amazing the difference when Fridge came in his senior year.

 

[yesrutgers01]

Let’s all agree, Sit was put in a no win situation. It also looks like he has a very good football mind.
With that said, I just don’t think he ever caught up to the game on the field.
Nova was also put into a bad situation as well. Rotating OC’s, playing immediately, etc.
To compare both guys, put them both on OSU or Bama, Nova would have the better career.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Isn’t that what everyone did pre portal? Our present OC was also called a moron for doing the same thing his first time here

I’m not sure what you are referring to everyone doing or Kirk doing his first time here. Most coaches (at least the better ones) adapt style of play to their personnel. Laviano was the best QB we had but he wasn’t meant to play in a spread system with less blockers. He wasn’t mobile enough. Look - in Ash’ defense, we probably wouldn’t have been quite as awful in 2016 if Janarion Grant hadn’t gone down, but once we lost him in that Iowa game there was no way that style was going to work and we needed to adapt.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Yeah it had nothing to do with his inability to feel the rush and statuesque stance.

I don’t think Sit was a good QB, but he barely had time to grip the ball and throw a pass let alone scan the field for openings. We didn’t have the horses to play the style we were playing. Ironically, the QB who could’ve probably helped make those scores less embarrassing (notice I didn’t say help us win more) would’ve been a Gavin type by simply taking off on every play and running. He wouldn’t have helped us win more games - but maybe we would’ve gotten a few more first downs with his legs, and even if not, the clock would’ve kept rolling with less pass attempts so the opponents would’ve scored less - maybe prevented those video game like outcomes on the media scoreboard scrolls.

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

Where you not at the Arkansas game. While still mistake prone Nova was a better QB under the fridge. 4 years under a guy like him and he floats around NFL for a few years

So we can only judge him by what he did under the Fridge's tutelage? Can we then extrapolate what every other QB might have done if Friedgen was our OC for them? Surely a huge part of our QB issues has been poor recruiting and QB coaching and OC use of the position. It is all part of the same picture.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

So we can only judge him by what he did under the Fridge's tutelage? Can we then extrapolate what every other QB might have done if Friedgen was our OC for them? Surely a huge part of our QB issues has been poor recruiting and QB coaching and OC use of the position. It is all part of the same picture.

Yeah - I know sound like a broken record but Michael Burton was a huge reason that offense was a success. Him and Tyler Kroft were unsung heros on that roster. The OL was solid, but the blocking by those two guys was hugely instrumental to the success of that team. Keep in mind we are talking about two guys who not only got drafted, but are still playing in the NBA today. Caroo, of course, was also awesome and made some incredible plays. Nova had to make the plays no doubt and deserves some credit but to be fair, every one of Ash’s QBs would’ve had better numbers playing on the 2014 team. It’s not a comparison that’s fair to make.

 

[yesrutgers01]

Yeah - I know sound like a broken record but Michael Burton was a huge reason that offense was a success. Him and Tyler Kroft were unsung heros on that roster. The OL was solid, but the blocking by those two guys was hugely instrumental to the success of that team. Keep in mind we are talking about two guys who not only got drafted, but are still playing in the NBA today. Caroo, of course, was also awesome and made some incredible plays. Nova had to make the plays no doubt and deserves some credit but to be fair, every one of Ash’s QBs would’ve had better numbers playing on the 2014 team. It’s not a comparison that’s fair to make.

The comparison may not be fair but even Dodd had much better numbers while getting crushed every day.
Without comparison- Art just never looked like he caught up to the speed of this level. He had an arm, an NFl made body and it seems, a high football IQ.
It just never clicked on the field.

 

[vkj91]

So we can only judge him by what he did under the Fridge's tutelage? Can we then extrapolate what every other QB might have done if Friedgen was our OC for them? Surely a huge part of our QB issues has been poor recruiting and QB coaching and OC use of the position. It is all part of the same picture.

Did I say any of that? I was responding specifically to what A person stated.

 

[-RUFAN4LIFE-]

The comparison may not be fair but even Dodd had much better numbers while getting crushed every day.
Without comparison- Art just never looked like he caught up to the speed of this level. He had an arm, an NFl made body and it seems, a high football IQ.
It just never clicked on the field.

Vedral had more success with the same rosters and he didn’t have half the arm that Art did. Main difference was he could think on his feet. Art was like Gavin where his stats dropped off after the scripted plays were over.

 

[tico brown]

You are missing a huge part here
With better talent around him Sit may have been on par with Nova. Sit had some of the worst talent in Rutgers history and nova had some of the best

He lost his starting job at IMG as well, where some of the best HS players in the country play at.

 

[yesrutgers01]

He lost his starting job at IMG as well, where some of the best HS players in the country play at.

Some fans don’t get it. The difference between Highschool speed and college speed at this level is insane. I’m not sure tgere is a sport you could compare it to.
Art has the IQ, the arm, the body. The game just never slowed up for him. And this happens many times.
Now, he is a coach and doing well, it shows he knows the position and has a great football IQ. Heck, look what Shimko has done as a coach.

 

[NBKnight]

None of this is wrong - player development under Ash sucked from day one. But in my opinion, the biggest blunder came in the completely neglect of the fullback slot. I couldn’t even tell you who replaced Michael Burton in that role in 2015, but whoever it was did a servicable job. That position was arguably the unheralded glue that kept Flood’s offense rolling and steadied the OL play.

Yeah I get it - in modern day football that position is obsolete. But Schiano 1.0 passed along the baton and Flood continued the build there. If there were such a thing, Rutgers would’ve been fullback U. Because we did a great job of using that position to enhance the OL. Heck - we developed walk on Burton into a solid NFL player with a lengthy career.

Okay - maybe if your Ash, you don’t recruit more fullbacks in the future and gradually shift to your own style. But pulling the plug on everything in year 1 was a complete disaster.

Greg has not recruited any fullbacks since he has been back either. Most schools no longer use one.

 

[MADHAT1]

I am not blaming it solely on coaching . It is probably that he the wasn’t that good, but the talent and coaching around him completely sucked

could be, but when not relied on to be the starter Sit didn't do too bad.

Season	Team	Conf	Class	Pos	G	Cmp	Att	Cmp%	Yds	TD	TD%	Int	Int%	Y/A	AY/A	Y/C	Y/G	Rate	Awards
2018	Rutgers	Big Ten	FR	QB	11	134	273	49.1	1158	4	1.5	18	6.6	4.2	1.57	8.6	105.3	76.4
2019	Rutgers	Big Ten	SO	QB	3	44	68	64.7	429	1	1.5	2	2.9	6.3	5.28	9.8	143.0	116.7
2020	Rutgers	Big Ten	JR	QB	4	52	81	64.2	444	3	3.7	0	0.0	5.5	6.22	8.5	111.0	122.5
2021	Illinois	Big Ten	SO	QB	5	74	148	50.0	704	6	4.1	2	1.4	4.8	4.96	9.5	140.8	100.6
2022*	Illinois	Big Ten	JR	QB	3	18	25	72.0	103	0	0.0	1	4.0	4.1	2.32	5.7	34.3	98.6
Career		26	322	595	54.1	2838	14	2.4	23	3.9	4.8	3.50	8.8	109.2	94.2
Illinois (2 Yrs)		8	92	173	53.2	807	6	3.5	3	1.7	4.7	4.58	8.8	100.9	100.3
Rutgers (3 Yrs)		18	230	422	54.5	2031	8	1.9	20	4.7	4.8	3.06	8.8	112.8	91.7

 

[ashokan]

Where you not at the Arkansas game. While still mistake prone Nova was a better QB under the fridge. 4 years under a guy like him and he floats around NFL for a few years

Ark was 4-8 in 2012 and 3-9 in 2013 - they were worse than Uconn.
Nova had a good game vs a chump in 2012
Nova was reputed to be better under Fridge in 2014 but that was the same year PSU DB coach promised his players 4 INTs vs RU and Nova threw 5

"Rutgers gave Penn State a good fight on Saturday night in its first Big Ten conference game. If not for a five-interception night from quarterback Gary Nova, Rutgers may very well have been celebrating its first Big Ten conference victory as well, instead of looking to rebound from a 13-10 loss to the Nittany Lions. Nova’s awful stat line Saturday night put him in a league of his own, sort of.

Nova was intercepted five times in a game for the second time in his career. Since 2000, according to the play index on College Football Reference, six different quarterbacks have been intercepted five times in a single game. Nova is the only player appearing on the list twice."

https://www.nbcsports.com/college-f...a-now-all-time-leader-in-5-interception-games

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Greg has not recruited any fullbacks since he has been back either. Most schools no longer use one.

Correct. I was not suggesting we should have one now. The point is, in 2016 the roster construction was based around a pro style that used one. Going from that to the system Ash put in place was a drastic change at the time considering Lav, the most talented QB on the roster (along with the LSU transfer everyone insisted Flood screwed over) were pocket passers. In the end - we played a guy who would’ve been 3rd string on most MAC rosters because he couldn’t throw a deep ball to save his life because he worked the best with the system we had.

 

[vkj91]

Ark was 4-8 in 2012 and 3-9 in 2013 - they were worse than Uconn.
Nova had a good game vs a chump in 2012
Nova was reputed to be better under Fridge in 2014 but that was the same year PSU DB coach promised his players 4 INTs vs RU and Nova threw 5

"Rutgers gave Penn State a good fight on Saturday night in its first Big Ten conference game. If not for a five-interception night from quarterback Gary Nova, Rutgers may very well have been celebrating its first Big Ten conference victory as well, instead of looking to rebound from a 13-10 loss to the Nittany Lions. Nova’s awful stat line Saturday night put him in a league of his own, sort of.

Nova was intercepted five times in a game for the second time in his career. Since 2000, according to the play index on College Football Reference, six different quarterbacks have been intercepted five times in a single game. Nova is the only player appearing on the list twice."

https://www.nbcsports.com/college-f...a-now-all-time-leader-in-5-interception-games

This is what you wrote.


He had a strong arm - in HS he could burn a pass into coverage - in college he often underestimated closing speed of DBs.
If RU was behind near end of a tight game you could feel the dagger coming - the power chuck into tight coverage. It got to where I would turn-off the TV . It was like watching Favre throwing the late INTs in his late career.

So you turned it off?

 

[yesrutgers01]

This is what you wrote.


He had a strong arm - in HS he could burn a pass into coverage - in college he often underestimated closing speed of DBs.
If RU was behind near end of a tight game you could feel the dagger coming - the power chuck into tight coverage. It got to where I would turn-off the TV . It was like watching Favre throwing the late INTs in his late career.

So you turned it off?

I still never understand so many fan's hatred toward Nova...

Nova was far from perfect but he pretty much broke every rutgers QB record. Somehow- a guy with a season of 18 int and 4 TD would have been better.

Late game Nova- as much as he may have f-ed a game, he won games where it was 4th and 5 and he throws a 50 yd TD...Kid was a gunslinger and the difference between the two of them is that Nova felt he could make every pass every time- and that often led to trouble- but the speed of the game was not his issue. It was him sometimes being too confident as much as just some really crappy coaching. I remember speaking to someone on the staff in his first couple of years where we saw spikes on 4th down and throwing from beyond the LOS. They said the problem was that becuase we have no real backup- he was given instruction to never have the ball in his hands beyond the LOS. This messed with his head rather than just let him play football. In his last year- Fridge opened him up and told him to play- don't think too much, and it made all the difference.

 

[-RUFAN4LIFE-]

I still never understand so many fan's hatred toward Nova...

Nova was far from perfect but he pretty much broke every rutgers QB record. Somehow- a guy with a season of 18 int and 4 TD would have been better.

Late game Nova- as much as he may have f-ed a game, he won games where it was 4th and 5 and he throws a 50 yd TD...Kid was a gunslinger and the difference between the two of them is that Nova felt he could make every pass every time- and that often led to trouble- but the speed of the game was not his issue. It was him sometimes being too confident as much as just some really crappy coaching. I remember speaking to someone on the staff in his first couple of years where we saw spikes on 4th down and throwing from beyond the LOS. They said the problem was that becuase we have no real backup- he was given instruction to never have the ball in his hands beyond the LOS. This messed with his head rather than just let him play football. In his last year- Fridge opened him up and told him to play- don't think too much, and it made all the difference.

Leave it to Rutgers fans to continually promote flawed, failed QBs as better than record setters. The IQ level in here is non-existent at times.

 

[ashokan]

This is what you wrote.


He had a strong arm - in HS he could burn a pass into coverage - in college he often underestimated closing speed of DBs.
If RU was behind near end of a tight game you could feel the dagger coming - the power chuck into tight coverage. It got to where I would turn-off the TV . It was like watching Favre throwing the late INTs in his late career.

So you turned it off?

Yes in close games at the and
Nova was a reliable "blind chucker" when he was forcing things .
No surprise to me he was only QB to have FIVE interceptions in TWO games.
Good kid but I was relieved when he graduated.
Only here is he some kind of stud QB when he was mediocre with a lot killer INTs.
He didn't have a zillion INTs but the ones he had were often daggers.
RU crowd didn't boo him for nothing vs USF
I didn't see any dramatic rescue by Fridge - just a little polish.
I think Athan is better between the ears.
Truth is Sanu was RU's best QB back then

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Leave it to Rutgers fans to continually promote flawed, failed QBs as better than record setters. The IQ level in here is non-existent at times.

I always felt Nova was a capable game manager who, unfortunately, at times let his ego get the best of him and went rogue. Oddly - I think the extra zip in his arm that he had, compared to say a guy like Vedral, hurt his game. Vedral was a proud and true game manager until the end. He stuck to the script and knew his limitations, for better or worse. His long ball, as said, wasn’t as good as Nova’s, but then, he also didn’t have a Caroo type to throw them to. But his longer throws didn’t have the same zip. But Vedral was also better with his legs in my opinion. And an all around smarter player.

I compare the two, because I think Vedral kind of gets the shaft and the injury is not accounted for by many of our fans in terms of how his career at Rutgers unfolded as much as it should be. Meanwhile, Nova is viewed by some as a RU QB legend of sorts.

 

[Jerseylegends]

I always felt Nova was a capable game manager who, unfortunately, at times let his ego get the best of him and went rogue. Oddly - I think the extra zip in his arm that he had, compared to say a guy like Vedral, hurt his game. Vedral was a proud and true game manager until the end. He stuck to the script and knew his limitations, for better or worse. His long ball, as said, wasn’t as good as Nova’s, but then, he also didn’t have a Caroo type to throw them to. But his longer throws didn’t have the same zip. But Vedral was also better with his legs in my opinion. And an all around smarter player.

I compare the two, because I think Vedral kind of gets the shaft and the injury is not accounted for by many of our fans in terms of how his career at Rutgers unfolded as much as it should be. Meanwhile, Nova is viewed by some as a RU QB legend of sorts.

Because nova is the best Rutgers QB since teel...

 

[tico brown]

I always felt Nova was a capable game manager who, unfortunately, at times let his ego get the best of him and went rogue. Oddly - I think the extra zip in his arm that he had, compared to say a guy like Vedral, hurt his game. Vedral was a proud and true game manager until the end. He stuck to the script and knew his limitations, for better or worse. His long ball, as said, wasn’t as good as Nova’s, but then, he also didn’t have a Caroo type to throw them to. But his longer throws didn’t have the same zip. But Vedral was also better with his legs in my opinion. And an all around smarter player.

I compare the two, because I think Vedral kind of gets the shaft and the injury is not accounted for by many of our fans in terms of how his career at Rutgers unfolded as much as it should be. Meanwhile, Nova is viewed by some as a RU QB legend of sorts.

Better to have Vedral than Sitkowski.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Athan, by the way, gets a bad rap for accuracy but he’s actually a very smart in game player / game manager despite the numbers. In general, he knows when it’s appropriate to take chances and there’s purpose to his throws whether they are completed or not. A lot of his incompletions for example, were home run attempts. Maybe he slightly overthrew the stride timing to Miller or whatever but taking those shots down field keeps the D thinking to plan for those to type of big play attempts and opens up the field.

 

[Jerseylegends]

Athan, by the way, gets a bad rap for accuracy but he’s actually a very smart in game player / game manager despite the numbers. In general, he knows when it’s appropriate to take chances and there’s purpose to his throws whether they are completed or not. A lot of his incompletions for example, were home run attempts. Maybe he slightly overthrew the stride timing to Miller or whatever but taking those shots down field keeps the D thinking to plan for those to type of big play attempts and opens up the field.

Expecting a big year from the ak47...should be the best passing offense Rutgers has had since.......lol Gary nova...

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Because nova is the best Rutgers QB since teel...

He has the best stats, yes, but his also had the best overall surrounding cast. Look - I threw Vedral’s name out there (in place of Sit) because I firmly believe Vedral beats PSU in that 2014 game which we had no business losing. Nova did some good things in other games, so I’m not saying every one of those 8 games is a W if you swap them. I don’t remember how any other ones went down. But PSU - can’t forget that. A reliable game manager who sticks to the script wins that game. For sure.

Actually - I do remember a play. Hot take - I think Nova could’ve completed the same opening pass design play for the TD in the Wash State game. It was a great play but it wasn’t all that difficult execution wise and didn’t require exceptional arm strength. As an example.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Expecting a big year from the ak47...should be the best passing offense Rutgers has had since.......lol Gary nova...

I’m excited to see what Athan can do this year. We still probably won’t have as good combo of receivers and QB protection as that team had (it’d be hard to match a roster with Caroo, Kroft and company - a lot of NFL stud receivers - Kaleb Johnson and our OL was solid plus we utilized Burton who is still in the NFL). But perhaps our run game will balance that out - I think our RB room might be superior to what that team had?

 

[Jerseylegends]

He has the best stats, yes, but his also had the best overall surrounding cast. Look - I threw Vedral’s name out there (in place of Sit) because I firmly believe Vedral beats PSU in that 2014 game which we had no business losing. Nova did some good things in other games, so I’m not saying every one of those 8 games is a W if you swap them. I don’t remember how any other ones went down. But PSU - can’t forget that. A reliable game manager who sticks to the script wins that game. For sure.

No, it's not for sure because it's speculation and Rutgers has never beaten Penn State unless it was before I was born or paying attention to sports... Nova provided some of the best moments to be a fan of Rutgers football, vedral never came close to Nova, like not even close man, sitowski? Forget about it, lol you guys are really committed to this back up QB thing..

 

[Jerseylegends]

I’m excited to see what Athan can do this year. We still probably won’t have as good combo of receivers and QB protection as that team had (it’d be hard to match a roster with Caroo, Kroft and company - a lot of NFL stud receivers - Kaleb Johnson and our OL was solid plus we utilized Burton who is still in the NFL). But perhaps our run game will balance that out - I think our RB room might be superior to what that team had?

The RVs are the one question mark I have for next year..until I see them on the field it's an unknown for me..the one kid from Canada looked good when he got in there last year though...but if I'm not mistaken, didn't Nova have Robert Martin and that Florida rb? Those guys were legit..I still remember them running all over north Carolina in that bowl game..