Rutgers TEs coach Scott Vallone talks Spring Practice: Press Conference

Rutgers Football began spring ball this week and on Thursday afternoon, and Tight Ends coach Scott Vallone spoke to the media for his spring football press conference on staff.

Hear Johansen’s complete comments to the media embedded in this article, or on live replay on the The Knight Report YouTube Channel. He spoke for roughly eight minutes and addressed a range of questions, including the new look tight end room, who stands out, and much more.

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Full Scott Vallone Presser Transcript

I just want to ask you, it’s an open competition at tight end this year. Not a whole lot of a starting experience coming back. What are you seeing from that room and anyone kind of jumping out through these first five practices?

SCOTT VALLONE: “Yeah, I mean we’ve had guys here, you know, obviously Logan’s been here, right? Mike Higgins has been here, so they have a little bit of starting experience because of that craziness that happened in 2024.

And Logan played well in those games, right? He played in games against UCLA, against draft picks, and against Minnesota, against NFL guys. So, I think he has some experience to lean on. You know, brought in Cam, right, to be there to compete.

And then there’s young guys like Ben Rothhaar and Jackson Gister that are going to be in the mix. So, I think it’s definitely an open competition like you said. It’s just going to be, you know, who kind of emerges as we go through spring, summer, and then training camp.”

You brought in Kam Anthony out of the portal. What did you like about what you saw from him on film and what can you guys expect from him in the fall given he’s coming in a little banged up?

SCOTT VALLONE: “Yeah, I mean I remember my first game. And I remember we played Cincinnati in 2009. How nervous I was playing in that game. And his first college snaps were against a Big Ten team and an SEC team. And he went out there and he competed.

Had some really good reps. You know, had some freshman moments. But he’s a guy that was, you know, very capable of putting his hand in the dirt. Moved the line of scrimmage. You know, and he was able to make some plays in the passing game. He didn’t have a thousand catches, but he did have the ability to catch the intermediate ball and puncture and things like that. So, really like his skill set. Like that he had three years of eligibility. And I think he’s going to add some competition to the room, which is what we’re looking for. And he’s a great kid. I mean, he’s working his butt off. You guys know he’s not competing now. But he’s trying to gain every inch that he can while he’s not on the practice field. So, I really like what we’re seeing from Kam right now.”

Coach, what have been your first impressions of the two freshman tight ends, Owens and Howard?

SCOTT VALLONE: “Yeah. So, DJ, loved him coming out of high school. You know, comes from a winning program. Two-time state champion and biggest classification there in North Carolina.

And, you know, really was a guy that I thought fit what we do. And his work ethic has been outstanding so far. And then Brady’s another guy who had a ton of pass game production in high school that you’re starting to see those skills show up on the practice field as well.

So, I love the way they’re working. Love what they’re bringing to the table. And, you know, they’re adding that competition. And they’re big, long guys, which I think is something that we need to continue to do to build our room. So, I like what they’re doing so far.”

Obviously the blocking game is a big faction of this offense for the tight ends. Jim Turner comes in as the offensive line coach. You have some background working with the offensive line. Have you had a chance to work with him yet? And what have your initial impressions been?

SCOTT VALLONE: “Yeah I love working with Coach Turner. I mean, he is a ball of energy. He’s got a lot of passion for what he’s doing. You know, those guys, you know, obviously there’s guys that have been here for a long time. And he came in and they really were – they kind of got attached to him. And I thought that was really important.

He built those relationships. And, you know, obviously his football knowledge is second to none. So, I really love what he’s bringing and love working with Coach Turner.”

We’ve seen in the last few seasons how much the depth of the tight end has been tested with just injuries and everything else that’s gone on. I mean, I guess how important are these spring practices to get guys developed as much as they can before training camp starts and get them in good position?

SCOTT VALLONE: “Yeah. I mean, I think we’ve seen here in the past that it will be more than one guy. Right? And I think that’s kind of what you’re trying to build is to build that depth and not just people, right, but the ability to actually go in and be a factor, right, and be successful. I think that’s why Collin was so important last year for us to have, right, to give Kenny an opportunity to, you know, catch his breath, right, you know, be more explosive when he was out there. So, that’s what we’re trying to build again, right, to build that type of quality depth so when our guys are out on the field they’re able to play their best. And hopefully we can do what we did in 2025 in this season.”

Speaking of losing Collin and Kenny from that room, I guess, you know, they were veterans, played a lot of college football. What are you looking for from some of the guys to step up in terms of what they brought to the field?

SCOTT VALLONE: “So, I mean, there is experience, right? I know there’s not a thousand reps. I don’t know what the number is off the top of my head. But we’ve got guys that have been here and that have played, right, and played in big moments.

So, like the next time Logan Blake goes out there it won’t be his first time, right? And the same thing with Mike Higgins, you know, playing Illinois in our stadium. So, I think what I’m just looking for them to do is to continue to build off those experiences. Even though it’s not a ton of it, they have some. And I think they’ve got to be able to lean on that to be able to, you know, kind of take the next steps in their career.”

What’s the standard for Scott Vallone when he asks from that room? What do you want to see for them off the field and on the field?

SCOTT VALLONE: “Yeah. It’s been cool now to have three years, right, to kind of recruit the position and recruit those guys. I think you always tend to recruit people that you’re attracted to in terms of their personalities, right, and their skill set, right? So, I really like, you know, what we’ve brought in in terms of their work ethic, right? And I think that’s something that we’re always looking for. They’re going to work really hard to be the best that they can be. Obviously, there’s a toughness component, right, that’s going to be really important and the ability to be violent and physical.

So, we’re looking for those things on the tape. And I think that’s kind of what I want our trademark to be at the position is that we’re going to go out there, we’re going to be reliable, we’re going to be tough, and we’re going to be somebody that Coach Ciarrocca can count on to run the plays that we need to run.”

Are any of the younger guys in the room at a point where you feel like they’re ready to play, you know, if they’re needed in the fall? And specifically, what are your thoughts on Ben Rothhaar and where he is?

SCOTT VALLONE: “Yeah, I mean, I think that’s the guy that kind of sticks out there in terms of his skill set and athleticism. Super athletic guy. We were lucky to kind of find him.

We worked hard to do it, but to find him late in the recruiting process. But he’s got a skill set. He’s got a toughness to him. He’s got a work ethic that’s outstanding. I think that’s what you’re going to see with our room overall. I mean, those guys, they just work.

And they’re not there yet, but they are working to get there. And that’s what I’m most excited about them. But I think Ben, I think Jackson Gister, who came in as a walk-on, who’s really developed year three in the program, looks like a grown man out there on the field, which is good to see. So, I think those are two young guys that have been here that are kind of getting closer to making those contributions that you mentioned.”

Just a little bit offbeat here, but recruiting. I know you have been doing a lot of recruiting, but in particular North Carolina. But North Carolina’s a place you didn’t have any ties to necessarily. How did you get involved in North Carolina and foster those relationships and kind of grind away?

SCOTT VALLONE: “Eric Josephs said we had a player by the name of Ben Black that we wanted to recruit, and we had a player by the name of Isaiah Crumpler that we wanted to recruit. And it kind of started from there.

And then we obviously recruited Noah and then Isaiah and Steve in the next year, and it’s gone on from there. But it really wasn’t something where I had some ties in the past. It just kind of was, hey, this is an area that you’re going to be working with now.

And kind of made some phone calls and got feet on the ground and started to meet some people. And it’s a cool place. You go down there, and I think there’s a huge attraction to Big Ten football down there.

And football’s serious there. They have weight room during school, which is super cool. So I think you go down there, and they’re well-coached players. They’re tough. They care about football, and it’s a good fit. So when you go down there with some Big Ten, they go, oh, okay. And it becomes interesting. And it’s not so far away where you get on a flight, it’s an hour and 15 minutes. It’s not a place that’s super far away.

So it’s close enough where they can still play major college football, but it’s not too far away. It’s kind of a quick flight for them. I’ve been on some small planes going down to North Carolina, so it’s been a cool area for us.”