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Freshman Logan Ryan and Darrell Givens expected to compete for playing time
BY MIKE VORKUNOV
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
RUTGERS PREVIEW: DEFENSIVE BACKS
The Rutgers secondary will have a different look in 2009. Gone is four year starter safety Courtney Greene. So is cornerback Jason McCourty. While McCourty's brother Devin is still here, locking up one cornerback position, the defensive backs that join are a talented but inexperienced bunch.
Senior Billy Anderson joins McCourty as the other starting cornerback on the preseason depth chart, but he has played only 10 games in his Rutgers career. Junior Brandon Bing is the other experienced cornerback on the two-deep, seeing inconsistent playing so far as a Scarlet Knight.
Rutgers will rely heavily on a batch of incoming freshman to give them depth at the position as well possibly a starter. Logan Ryan and Darrell Givens are expected to earn playing time and make an impact at cornerback. So far the young guys have made an impression on the elder statesmen with their work ethic and ability to pick up things quickly.
"It's only been a few days but they've made a lot of strides already and they're really eager to learn," Anderson said. "They're asking the older guys constantly how to improve their technique, anything they can do to get better. It's really encouraging to see. They've got some real talent."Junior Joe Lefeged and Zaire Kitchen will be the starters at safety. Lefeged has shown promise, earning recognition as a big hitter but has struggled in the passing game.
Senior Zaire Kitchen will start next to him at free safety, sliding over from strong safety. This will be his first opportunity to start on a consistent basis, as he and Lefeged split time last year.
David Rowe, a sophomore, has been moved from cornerback to safety in hopes of providing depth at the position.
THE BIG EAST: Connecticut was the best pass defense in the conference last year but suffered a big loss in CB Darius Butler, who is now in the NFL. But the rest of the secondary returns. While Butler didn't pick off a pass last season, Jasper Howard had four interceptions and Robert Mclain had three.
Pittsburgh also returns a talented secondary. Aaron Berry accumulated three interceptions last year, while Jovani Chapell picked off two passes.
UP NEXT: Offensive line
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