Top playmakers KJ Duff, Antwan Raymond return for Rutgers amid QB race

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — 2025 record: 5-7

For the first time in three seasons there is a quarterback battle in Piscataway. AJ Surace or Dylan Lonergan are trying to win the job to run coach Greg Schiano’s ball-control offense. Surace knows the system but lacks game experience; he threw just nine passes last season as a backup. Lonergan is a transfer from Boston College who threw for over 2,000 yards.

Whoever gets the nod will benefit from the return of the Scarlet Knights' leading rusher and wide receiver, Antwan Raymond and KJ Duff, respectively.

The defense, which allowed 35 or more points in six of nine conference games, must improve if the Scarlet Knights want to return to a bowl game after missing out last season. This is the second straight season Schiano has addressed the defense via the portal.

Starting 2-0 against UMass and Boston College is imperative because the schedule after that includes USC, Michigan and Indiana paying a visit to SHI Stadium. Rutgers will also need to improve on the road where it went 1-4 last fall.

Raymond and Duff are coming off breakout seasons as sophomores. Raymond ran for 1,241 yards and 13 touchdowns in his first season as a starter. The 6-foot-6 Duff caught 60 passes for 1,084 yards and seven touchdowns last season.

The offensive line has experience and depth, starting with left tackle Tyler Needham and right guard Kwabena Asamoah. They anchor a line that produced a 3,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard rusher and a 1,000-yard receiver in 2025 for the second time in program history.

Special teams play has been a staple of Schiano’s 17 years at Rutgers. Punter Jakob Anderson and place kicker Jai Patel return. Anderson averaged 44.2 yards on 33 punts and Patel, a four-year starter, is reliable from inside of 50 yards.

After a season that ranked 125th in total defense, Schiano decided to overhaul the coaching staff and turn to the portal for help. Travis Johansen is the new defensive coordinator after serving as the head coach at South Dakota, former Drake head coach Joe Woodley is the new rush ends coach and Dennis Dottin-Carter takes over the defensive line after three years at Minnesota.

There were just three projected starters on defense – DT Zaire Angoy, LB Abram Wright and S Kaj Sanders. Schiano brought in Toledo defensive end Malachi Davis, Tulsa defensive end J’Dan Burnett and Temple DL Sekou Kromah to bolster a line that recorded 11 sacks, second lowest in the nation.

Rutgers program operates well below the Big Ten’s bigger spenders when it comes to NIL compensation. Rutgers president William F. Tate IV and athletic director Keli Zinn, who both came over from LSU, must continue to prioritize fundraising if the Scarlet Knights want to be a factor in the conference.

WR Dyzier Carter (Freshman from Virgina), QB Dylan Lonergan (transfer from Boston College), DE Malachi Davis (transfer from Toledo), DL Sekou Kromah (transfer from Temple), LB Ty Morris (transfer from Rice).

QB Athan Kaliakmanis (NFL), WR Ian Strong (transferred to Cal), OL Gus Zilinskas (UFA), DE Eric O’Neill (UFA), WR DT Sheffield (UFA).

At Boston College (Sept. 11), vs. USC (Sept. 19), vs. Michigan (Oct. 31).

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FILE - Rutgers running back Antwan Raymond (3) runs for a touchdown past Penn State safety King Mack (16) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Nov. 29, 2025, in Piscataway, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger, File)

U.S. futures are flat as artificial intelligence-related stocks continue to sell off, while oil prices jetted higher again.

AI-related stocks have become volatile in recent months as the value of company shares have soared while confidence in a pay off, at least soon, has waned.

The futures for the S&P 500 were relatively unchanged, while those for the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1%. Nasdaq futures declined 0.1%.

Oracle shares slipped more than 1% before the market opened Wednesday. Shares of Marvell Technology and Intel both fell nearly 2%. Micron Technology dipped 1%. The seller of computer memory was one of the largest drags on the S&P 500 Tuesday.

Target's stock declined 1.6% even as the retailer reported its second straight quarter of comparable sales gains Wednesday under new CEO Michael Fiddelke.

Markets are also reacting to decision by President Donald Trump to delay U.S. tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian import.

Later Wednesday, the Federal Reserve will release minutes from the most recent meeting of the rate-setting committee.

Crude prices continue to climb with the conflict over the Strait of Hormuz unresolved. Brent crude, which was trading for around $70 per barrel before the start of the war, gained 1% to $91.91 per barrel early Wednesday. U.S. benchmark crude oil rose 1.1% to $84.99 per barrel.

Bond yields have jumped since the war began because high oil prices are pushing inflation higher. That has increased the anxiety over government debt and is also one of the reasons the fast-growing tech sector, which thrives when borrowing costs are low, is under pressure.

The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury edged down to 4.70% from 4.72% Wednesday but remains well above its 3.97% level from just before the war with Iran began. The 30-year Treasury yield also ticked lower but is still near its highest level since 2007.

High yields have already sent the average long-term U.S. mortgage rate near its highest level in a year, which has hurt the housing industry.

In Europe, Germany’s DAX shed 0.1% to 26,084.43, while the CAC 40 in Paris rose 0.3% to 8,535.30. Britain’s FTSE 100 slipped 0.2% to 10,705.47.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 sank 3.2% to 65,326.42 as worries over rising bond yields coupled with selling of tech shares pulled the benchmark lower.

The U.S. dollar fell to 159.13 Japanese yen from 159.61 yen. The euro rose to $1.1604 from $1.1577.

Associated Press Business Writer Chan Ho-him in Hong Kong contributed.

Currency traders work near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics Co. stock price at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A currency trader passes by a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)